What does a decade of building Brand Advocacy look like in practice?

Back in May, Paul sat down with Luke Klein (Senior Director of Marketing Strategy & Growth @ Aerie) to unpack one of fashion’s longest-running movements: #AerieREAL.

The campaign started in 2014 with a bold commitment: no more retouching. But it was more than a moment; it was a cultural stance. In the 10 years since, Aerie has evolved that stance into a living, breathing ‘brandformance’ strategy that continues to drive relevance & results.

Luke shares how Aerie stays intuitive to their customer (not just reactive), balances brand consistency with performance-first cultural agility, and designs a creator strategy that feels genuinely co-owned. 

If you’re looking for smart ways to evolve a brand, this episode is yours.

You’ll learn:

• Why Brands Need a Mirror, Not a Magnet – Aerie doesn’t try to manufacture hype. They reflect real conversations their customers are already having; and that’s what earns trust.

• The Bow Tie vs The Funnel – A customer journey model that actually reflects how people buy and Advocate today.

• Why Brand Is Performance (& Vice Versa) – Luke shares why separating the two is outdated, and how Aerie uses one strategy to drive both impact and immediacy.

• How Culture-Driven Content Fuels Strategy – From “Coastal Grandma” to subculture playbooks, Luke breaks down how Aerie turns social listening into scalable strategy.

• Why Influencers Should Translate, Not Recite – Scripts are dead. Aerie’s creator strategy starts with values, then lets partners lead with their own voice.

• The Underrated Power of Store Associates – When you empower employees to show up authentically, they become some of your best Advocates.

Whether you’re brand-side, agency-side, or founder-led – if you’re serious about scaling with Advocacy, this is one way to do it. 

Chapters:

00:00 – Why #AerieREAL Was Never Just a Campaign

02:50 – Evolving the Movement for Gen Z in 2025

08:45 – How Aerie Turns Listening Into Strategy

10:30 – From SEO to Trend Spotting: The Content Nucleus Model

13:00 – Subcultures, Micro-Trends & Translating the Brand

14:00 – Scripts Are Dead: Let Creators Lead With Values

21:00 – Why Brand and Performance Aren’t Separate Anymore

23:00 – The Bow Tie vs The Funnel (and What Actually Works)

26:00 – Segmenting Advocates Beyond Purchase Frequency

30:00 – Store Associates as Advocates: The Untapped Channel

34:00 – The Myth of Message Matching Across Touchpoints

36:30 – Letting the Customer Shape the Brand, Not Just Receive It

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