American Eagle to run immersive New York City jeans promotion

American Eagle is continuing its back-to-school campaign with a high-profile installation in New York City’s High Line public park.

Open to the public Saturday, Sep 16 – Sunday, Sep. 17, American Eagle is offering a shoppable omnichannel display of its jeans assortment, crossing into social and mobile channels, in the High Line park.

Building on its 2023 back-to-school campaign that includes a promotional partnership with Amazon, the denim installation will include an array of mannequins featuring hundreds of denim styles, starting at High Line’s 14th street passage.

The promotion will also feature seamless shopping enabled by QR-coded denim jeans modeled on mannequins and in images, so customers can buy jeans on the spot.

In addition, the installation will offer dedicated areas to sign up for the American Eagle rewards credit card, operated by American Eagle’s financing partner Synchrony. Customers will also be able to scan a QR code to gain access to Synchrony’s dApply solution to seamlessly and securely apply for credit, allowing them to quickly authenticate themselves and minimize the fields needed to apply.

Other features will include a takeover of New York’s 10th Avenue Amphitheater, where denim mannequins will engage in a display designed to be posted on social media, as well as a special musical performance by a surprise artist on Saturday, Sep. 16 at 4:30 PM.

American Eagle is promoting the event across company-owned social media, as well as via out-of-home marketing including subway liveboards across New York City. A 3D billboard in Times Square will showcase the campaign with jeans styles that jump out of the ad and “dance” for the crowd.

“Our vision for this innovative installation is to show up where millions of people experience the city, bringing to life the heritage and timelessness of AE jeans,” said Jennifer Foyle, president & executive creative director, American Eagle and Aerie. “With seemingly infinite denim displays, shoppable experiences, creative photo moments, and musical surprises, we’re dominating denim in one of NYC’s most iconic gathering spaces.”

“Synchrony has partnered with AEO for more than two decades to offer financing solutions to meet the needs of its customers, beyond just a single purchase to build lifelong relationships,” said Darrell Owens, SVP, Head of Lifestyle Platform at Synchrony. “It’s great to see the AE brand come to life on the High Line with a unique activation that can easily translate browsing to buying.”

American Eagle gets innovative with seasonal promotions

American Eagle has previous experience leveraging next-generation digital media to promote seasonal merchandise. The retailer’s 2022 back-to-school campaign featured promotions on TikTok and Roblox. During the 2022 holiday season, American Eagle ran a campaign with elements on TikTok and Roblox, as well as Snapchat and BeReal, a social media platform popular with Gen Z consumers that gives users a short two-minute deadline to post whatever is happening in their day, wherever they are located when the notification is sent.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. is a global specialty retailer operating under its American Eagle and Aerie brands. The company operates stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong and Japan, and ships to approximately 80 countries worldwide through its websites. American Eagle and Aerie merchandise also is available at more than 260 international locations operated by licensees in approximately 30 countries.