Challenge
As a multi-brand, publicly traded retailer, AEO Inc. wanted to elevate its parent-company narrative and articulate a corporate story that conveys its purposeful leadership and cultural relevance to the business, fashion and consumer audiences.

Strategy
We leveraged AEO Inc.’s key moments to tell its corporate story and drive visibility and positive sentiment about the company and its brands. This included amplifying AEO’s philanthropic initiatives that demonstrated its vision and values, building its executive thought leadership platform and highlighting its strategic brand and talent partnerships to demonstrate its cultural relevance.

Results
We elevated AEO Inc.’s corporate profile across top-tier business and fashion media while driving strong visibility for its purpose-led initiatives. Highlights included launch coverage of the Aerie Real Foundation in Fast Company, a Forbes feature on the AE Foundation’s youth mental health mission and coverage of the AE brand’s collaboration with Coco Gauff in Inc. and Business of Fashion. We also arranged several opportunity marquee executive moments for AEO Chairman and CEO Jay Schottenstein, including his WRC Hall of Fame recognition, which was covered in WWD, and a leadership profile of him in The Wall Street Journal.