Embedding Brand Connection Into Everyday Moments
Aerie has long been committed to a brand promise rooted in authenticity and confidence-building, championing real bodies and real stories rather than idealized ones. For the launch of “The REAL Ones” bra campaign, Aerie partnered with Ovative to bring its brand promise into the real world in a new way, not just through the product itself, but through the media experience surrounding it.
The challenge was resonance, not just reach. A high-volume media push would’ve grabbed attention, but it wouldn’t necessarily have connected with women in the moments that matter. Aerie needed a media strategy as intentional as its brand values: meeting its audience where confidence is actually built and tested throughout the day.
+66%
lift in brand awareness, a two-year high
APPROACH
Designing a connected media system
Ovative and Aerie’s solution went beyond placements. It was a connected system built to surround women with confidence boosts throughout their day, turning Aerie’s media from a series of touchpoints into a single, cohesive brand experience.
Out of Home (OOH) served as the backbone of that system. Aerie didn’t just place media in cities like NYC and LA; it transformed them, turning the cities into immersive expressions of its promise of unconditional support. Subway station takeovers and branded Citi Bike stations turned commutes into confidence-building zones. Large-format billboards and street-level wild postings surrounded women across the city, keeping Aerie moving alongside women wherever they went. And culturally fluent messaging, reflecting how women actually speak and think, strengthened relevance while reinforcing Aerie’s core brand values.
Aerie’s supportive messaging was designed to reach their audience at moments of self-reflection. Mirror clings delivered affirmations exactly when confidence can be tested most. And Spotify and social placements carried Aerie’s brand message into casual scrolling and listening moments, extending the system into digital moments as well.
The result: a unified media ecosystem that surrounded women with confidence, wherever their day took them.
IMPACT
From visibility to brand equity
Aerie’s “The REAL Ones” campaign was proof that staying true to brand values at scale builds real loyalty and resonance. By designing a system rooted in Aerie’s confidence-first promise rather than chasing reach alone, Ovative helped Aerie build a deeper, more lasting connection with its audience built on trust.
Being trusted, not just seen, is what turned a media plan into brand equity. Aerie saw a two-year high in brand awareness, alongside meaningful increases in both inbound demand and brand search, proof that staying true to brand values pays off well beyond the marketing funnel.
The campaign’s impact was also recognized by the industry. ADWEEK awarded Ovative the “Best Use of Out of Home” award at its Media Plan of the Year awards. This recognition underscores the campaign’s rare ability to combine brand-building at scale with measurable business results.
+66%
lift brand awareness, a two-year high
+55%
increase in inbound demand
+27%
brand search demand
+181%
increase in direct site load up
