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Aeropostale Rebrands to Meet Millennial Needs
Remember when sporting an Aeropostale branded t-shirt was hip in middle school? We do too, but with competitors like H&M and Forever 21, millennial shoppers are now flocking to other stores for the latest trends.
Aeropostale closed 40 stores already this year and sales have continued to drop. The brand was losing touch with their target audience and millennials were taking their sales elsewhere. Aeropostale had to do something big, and they had to do it quickly.
How could Aeropostale win their customers back? Their answer was with a full rebrand.
With arguably one of the best rebrands in 2014, Aeropostale has changed much more than their look. It has shifted from specializing in branded apparel to becoming a lifestyle brand. Millennials are more concerned today with the style of clothing they’re wearing than the brand name printed or sewn into their garments, making lifestyle brands more appealing.
Lifestyle brands have become increasingly popular with the rise of social media. Millennials always have their smartphone within arms reach, making social media a great place for brands to reach their target audience.
The shopping experience of technology-driven millennials has changed within the last few years. When millennials go to the mall with their friends, the shopping trip isn’t complete without Instagram dressing room selfies, hashtag filled tweets, and many Facebook updates. They want to proudly share their outfits with the world, and they expect brands to produce trendy apparel worth sharing.
Aeropostale anticipated the need to become a social brand and has become just that. With the hashtag #aeronow, Aeropostale has created a social community of millennial shoppers anxious to show off their new outfits to an online audience of millions.
Aeropostale recently tweeted, “You’ve changed so we’ve changed. On July 28th, we’ll prove it. #aeronow.” This matched the new tagline of the brand, “Are You Who You Were A Year Ago?” Aeropostale isn’t who they were a year ago, but neither are their customers. The response to Aeropostale’s rebrand has been overwhelmingly positive on both Twitter and Instagram.
Aeropostale also recently partnered with Bethany Mota, a famous millennial YouTuber with 6.6 million subscribers and counting. Along with creating a Mota exclusive clothing line, Aeropostale’s new arrivals have been made to fit the latest millennial fashion trends: printed leggings, high-waisted shorts, and a lot of crop tops.
But Aeropostale isn’t done yet. The brand will host an official re-launch event on July 28th from 4-6 PM at all Aeropostale locations, allowing shoppers to see the rebrand in full swing. Millennials can get on the guest list now and join in on the re-opening of the new and improved Aeropostale.
The next time you go to the mall nearest you, peek into the windows of Aeropostale. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
6 Responses
It’s interesting to see how brands are changing with their customers. I think social media may make it easier to see and track, but rebranding is something a lot of companies (especially companies that plan on longevity) go through. With startups, rebranding is often in in the beginning and relatively simple to change. It’s been interesting to watch Aeropostale’s rebranding and I’m excited to see how everything turns out.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Kristine! Your comment about startups is on point. The best brands are willing to evolve along with their customers. Social media has become a really big component of rebranding, and it’s interesting to see all of the innovative ways brands get their audience involved in the rebranding process. I’m excited to see the future of Aeropostale as well. Cheers!
Awesome commentary on Aeropostale’s rebranding strategy. It’s great to see companies take notice of millennials affinity for social media and customize it for their brands
Thank you very much Tamera for taking the time to read and comment! Aeropostale is one of many brands to rebrand this summer, but I think it will be one of the best of 2014 because of their attention to their audience’s changing needs. I love what they are doing with their #aeronow social media campaign. I think many brands can learn from Aeropostale.
I seriously love the whole idea of the re-brand! And they couldn’t have done it at a better time! As someone who hasn’t been interested in Aero since the early 2000’s they have definitely grabbed my attention all over again!
Alisha, thank you so much for commenting and reading! I think it’s great that they turned their falling sales into fuel to produce a really dynamite rebrand. It’s pretty incredible that they’ve rebuilt their community and are making big strides to appealing to their Millennial audience again.