MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. August 5th, 2026 ––Aerie and Ovative Group have won “Best Use of Out of Home” at ADWEEK’s Media Plan of the Year Awards for “The REAL Ones” bra campaign. The win reflects a shared bet that the strongest media strategy is the one built around what a brand actually stands for, not the one with the biggest reach.
For Aerie, that meant identifying where confidence actually gets tested throughout a woman’s day and designing a media system around it, not just buying reach against an audience. Aerie and Ovative built a cohesive brand experience surrounding women with confidence together. Out of Home became the backbone, a way to bring Aerie’s brand into the real world rather than just another channel for impressions. Every placement, from a morning commute to a glance in the mirror, was built to reinforce Aerie’s brand promise of unconditional support at the exact moments women needed it most.
“We didn’t start with channels. We started with the question ‘where does a woman’s confidence actually get challenged during her day?’” said Bethany Hawthorne, Sr. Director of Client Services at Ovative. “Once we had that answer, the strategy followed. Every placement, from a subway platform takeover to a mirror cling, existed to bring Aerie’s brand to life in the moments that mattered.”
The business impact was substantial. Aerie’s brand awareness grew 66%, a two-year high for the brand. Inbound demand climbed 55%. Brand search rose 27%. For ADWEEK’s judges, the results were the proof point. For Aerie and Ovative, they were validation of the belief driving the strategy from day one.
“This award is proof of what happens when you stop treating media as placements and start treating it as an extension of a brand’s promise,” said Hawthorne. “ADWEEK recognizing that tells us the industry is ready to reward strategy over spend.”
Ovative and Boost Mobile were also named an ADWEEK “Best Use of Voice” finalist, recognized for an integrated media strategy that reached audiences through trusted audio environments and drove significant awareness and consideration lifts ahead of the 2026 tax season. Two categories, two very different brands, one common thread: winning attention comes from earning a place in someone’s day, not just buying one.
View the full list of ADWEEK Media Plan of the Year winners here.
About Ovative Group
Ovative Group is an independent, full-funnel media, measurement, and creative firm. Leveraging our deep industry expertise, we help brands like Polaris, Boost Mobile, Post Consumer Brands, American Eagle Outfitters, Petco, and UnitedHealth Group transform their media, measurement, and creative programs. The result? Profitable growth that speaks for itself.
At Ovative, we don’t just track data, we redefine success. How do we do it? Our proprietary marketing intelligence platform, EMRge™ helps businesses transform marketing into a driver of sustainable growth. Powered by Enterprise Marketing Return (EMR), our differentiated approach to holistic media buying, planning, and measurement, EMRge™ is the first marketing intelligence platform to measure businesses holistically. We’re all about raising the bar every day, and it shows. Our work has been recognized by organizations like AdWeek, Digiday, Google, Meta, Inc. 5000, and USA Today. For more information about Ovative, visit our website or follow Ovative on Instagram or LinkedIn.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Courtney Stoesz
Sr. Manager of Brand Marketing and Events
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715-307-2255
