"American Eagle's marketing has been a lightning rod for discussion lately, but some of the apparel retailer's most experimental bets could be flying under the radar. In May, the brand launched a subscription-based Substack newsletter, Off The Cuff, with the first issues guest-edited by After School writer Casey Lewis. It may not be a Sydney Sweeney-level cultural event, but the concept speaks to how retail brands are exploring new ways to leverage creators in the chase for authenticity while trying to stay on the ball with emergent media channels."
"Off The Cuff runs counter to the trend toward ultra-short social video in the TikTok mold, analyzing the style zeitgeist through written editorial delivered directly to customers' email inboxes. "Part of what's so interesting about Substack and the engagement is it is long-form," said Ashley Schapiro, vice president of marketing, media, performance and engagement at American Eagle, during a panel at the National Retail Federation's Big Show earlier this month. "Now, you have this below-the-fold newsletter that people are reading top-to-bottom.""
""[Creators] are widening their aperture of where they build their communities beyond social," said Sarah Henry, head of content, influencer and commerce at Walmart, on the panel with Schapiro and a representative from H&M. "We're seeing that some of our most engaged creators, they're also building communities on Substack, on Discord, on Reddit, etc.""
American Eagle launched Off The Cuff, a subscription-based Substack newsletter, with initial issues guest-edited by After School writer Casey Lewis. The newsletter uses long-form written editorial to analyze the style zeitgeist and deliver content directly to customers' email inboxes. The format contrasts with ultra-short social video trends by encouraging top-to-bottom reading of below-the-fold newsletters. Retailers are increasingly using editorial ventures on platforms like Substack to sharpen brand voice and diversify creator strategies. Creators are widening their community-building beyond algorithm-driven platforms, expanding into Substack, Discord, Reddit, and other channels.
Read at Marketing Dive
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