American Eagle Outfitters’ fast-growing intimates brand offered New Yorkers a peaceful respite on the longest day of the year.
For the third year in a row, Aerie was the official sponsor of “Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga,” an all-day outdoor event created by the Times Square Alliance that is
held annually on June 21. (The event celebrates the official first day of summer, as well as the International Day of Yoga.) In between participating in complementary yoga and meditation classes, attendees also visited Aerie’s pop-up store.
The retailer’s pop-up truck was the main attraction at the event’s “Yoga Village,” a block-long stretch on Broadway that featured additional event sponsor booths, giveaways and activities. The Aerie truck, which is designed with Instagram-ready walls, featured “make your own” essential oil rollerballs (packaged in linen bags by Aerie associates). A combination of mannequins and digital signage also displayed Aerie’s latest Chill. Play. Move. collection of leggings and sports bras.
In addition to the pop-up, Aerie offered other engaging experiences, including:
• Sun salutations — and other inspirations. To complement classes lead by some of the city’s well-known yoga teachers, Catherine Gignac, Aerie’s senior manager of digital creative (and a certified yoga teacher) lead the #AerieREAL “Empowered Flow” yoga class. Throughout the day, the retailer also hosted wellness segments — from meditation to physical and mental health tips — led by American Eagle senior copywriter (and yogi) Ashley Dominick, and #AerieREAL role models, gymnast and two-time Olympian Aly Raisman, and model and body positivity activist Iskra Lawrence, among other speakers. (The company launched the #AerieREAL campaign in 2014 to focus on body positivity.)
• Social media. Aerie encouraged attendees to post pictures of their yoga solstice experience on Instagram and Twitter under its
#AerieREAL hashtag. In addition to posts shared in the #AerieREAL feeds, some were also featured on the American Eagle and Aerie Times Square store’s billboard, according to a tweet from the Times Square Alliance.
• Branding and promotions. Beyond its prime positioning inside the Yoga Village, Aerie made its presence known throughout the event. At check-in, yogis received complementary yoga mats and reusable bags adorned with #AerieREAL branding. They also received a promotional coupon for purchases made at the Times Square American Eagle and Aerie store.