When you buy a pair of leggings, an oversized tee or a comfy piece of athleisure, is that all your money being spent on? Aerie, a sister brand to American Eagle, markets its products to a demographic much larger than those who simply need clothes. In fact, the exchange goes much deeper. 

Turning Creators Into the New Billboard

This retail giant thrives on social media through exchanges. Take their Aerie RealMaker Creator Program, for example:

• Creators complete tasks by producing content with Aerie products. 

• In exchange, they receive commissions, coupons and more opportunities.

• Aerie gets more content and exposure.

• The audience keeps seeing the same products repeatedly, but from creators they know and love. 

• Products become more desirable, so the audience purchases products, benefiting Aerie in the end. 

This is what makes creator marketing successful. A creator can inform an audience by demonstrating a product, remind them of the brand, persuade them through personal recommendations, connect through an existing relationship, and motivate them to make a purchase. 

Anthony Miyazaki explains that these are five major purposes of marketing communication. Creator marketing has the ability to accomplish all five purposes through one piece of content. 

The most intriguing part?

Consumers may not feel like they’re being advertised to. Instead, they may feel like a close friend is giving them a recommendation; if everyone else seems to have it, who wants to feel left out?