- American Eagle recruits some student athletes for its #AEAthleticDept influencers program
- Influencer marketing is, today, one of the most used strategies by brands
- Influencer marketing has grown 44.7 percent globally and this number is expected to rise even further
American Eagle is beginning to recruit some of the youngest athletes as part of its influencer marketing strategy.
By now, it should come as no surprise that brands are turning to influencer marketing to develop their campaigns. There are important reasons why they are inclined to do so.
The main argument by which brands decide is, simply, because of the reach that these personalities have on the internet and, very particularly, on social networks.
It must be taken into account that, currently, there are users of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, among others, who have millions of followers, which represents a great horizon for brands when designing their strategies.
Likewise, after the arrival of the pandemic and its inevitable confinement that lasted practically all of 2020, influencers experienced a significant rebound, as well as social networks increased their presence in eCommerce, one of the main trends of this period.
The American Eagle Strategy
That is why, now that American Eagle, has decided to get on the train of influencer marketing, it seems a logical and even natural strategy, taking into account the great power that these have and can give to brands.
However, American Eagle’s strategy, which is carried out by the #AEAthleticDept program, is aimed at a particular sector of influencers: student athletes.
The launch of #AEAthleticDept occurs in a context where a new college football season is about to begin in the United States, the NCAA, which is why the mara recruited Kedon Slovis, quarterback from the University of Southern California , and Tank Bigsby of Auburn University, one of the top-rated college-level runners, with some of its top stars.
As if that were not enough, American Eagle also has in its ranks Olivia Dunne, a gymnast from Louisiana State University, who, in fact, is the collegiate athlete with the most followers on TikTok; it has more than four million followers.
Now, both Kedon Slovis and Tank Bigsby and Olivia Dunne are just some of the influencers that will be part of the new American Eagle program, #AEAthleticDept, this after, finally, the NCAA has given permission for student athletes to be able to monetize your name, image and more.
“Certainly the decision that brands can work with NCAA athletes was a game changer. At AE, our primary audience is between the ages of 15 and 25, and college is an important part of that demographic, “revealed Craig Brommers, CMO of American Eagle in a statement that includes Adweek.
Influencer marketing, the trend for brands
In terms of numbers, influencer marketing has grown 44.7 percent globally and this number is expected to rise even further.
Given this, and seeing how every day it is gaining more ground, brands are determined to join this trend, since it represents their approach to young people in a more direct or organic way, which is, in the end, the purpose of companies.
Let’s remember what happened at the Tokyo Olympics, where athletes became influencers and developed all kinds of content for brands. From there, it was clear that the trend would continue and grow even more.
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