Exclusive: Snapchat taps American Eagle as a Snap Map ad partner ahead of back-to-school season
American Eagle and Snap Inc. are deepening their partnership heading into the critical back-to-school season.
On July 9, American Eagle will become the first specialty fashion brand to highlight its store locations and brand-related content on Snapchat’s Snap Map. The tool, officially called Promoted Places, has been in beta since late 2024 and is open to a handful of partners, including Regal Theaters, McDonald’s and Red Lobster. Also, later this summer, American Eagle will roll out a new augmented reality Lens within Snapchat dubbed “Jeans Try-on Haul.” Snap and American Eagle developed their back-to-school campaign with the marketing agency Ovative Group.
American Eagle and Snapchat both cater to Gen Z, a young demographic with increasing purchasing power. American Eagle’s target customer is 15-25 years old, and Snapchat is open to users 13 and up. Now, the two companies are linking up to take advantage of the lucrative back-to-school season. Back-to-school is the most important sales period of the year for American Eagle — “our Super Bowl,” vp of marketing Ashley Schapiro said — and the second-biggest season for purchases on Snapchat, outside of the holidays. According to Snap’s research, 95% of Snapchatters plan to shop in stores for the back-to-school season, and American Eagle is counting on Snapchat to draw them in.
Starting this month, Snapchat users can go into the Snap Map to see American Eagle’s 800 U.S. locations pop up alongside the locations of their friends. Tapping on a store brings up content from American Eagle, including information on that store, Stories from the brand, creator videos and even localized product recommendations. A major goal with the campaign is driving foot traffic to American Eagle, which makes 60-70% of its revenue from stores, Schapiro said. On top of that, American Eagle is hoping to connect with how younger generations shop, especially when it comes to social media, in-app messaging and sharing purchases with friends.
“The idea of discovery and how shoppers get to stores has evolved over time, and often, that starts on Snapchat, whether that’s Maps, Snapping with friends, sharing outfits, et cetera,” Schapiro said. “This really allows us to be a part of the initial process.”
Snap says Snapchat has more than 900 million monthly active users and 460 million daily active users globally. According to eMarketer data from May, 82.2% of U.S. social media users ages 18-24 access Snapchat at least once per month. In April, Snap reported revenue of $1.36 billion for its first quarter, an increase of 14% year over year.
Promoted Places is one of the newest ways Snap is looking to connect with retail companies and increase its commerce offerings. For years, Snapchat has worked with the likes of Maybelline and L’Oréal on live AR filters allowing Snapchatters to “try on” beauty products like foundation and mascara. Brands like Ralph Lauren and Jordan Brand have also developed apparel and footwear for users’ Bitmoji. Snapchat expects Promoted Places to be a similarly sought-after pathway for brands, as Snapchatters opened the Snap Map more than 40 billion times in the first quarter of 2025.
Sky Canaves, principal retail and e-commerce analyst for eMarketer, said that if positioned in the right way, Promoted Places “could draw a lot of interest.” “Gen-Z consumers are digitally native, but they also have a penchant for real-world shopping and experiences,” she told Modern Retail. “So, if the content that’s being served to them based on their location is relevant to them, it’s more likely to resonate.”
Crystal Alexander, retail industry lead for apparel, footwear, luxury and beauty retailers at Snap, acknowledged that some Snapchat users may be wary about seeing advertisements reflected alongside their friends’ locations in the Snap Map. “That’s why we’re taking a really modest approach to make sure we’re not disrupting the user,” she told Modern Retail. Promoted Places is only available to a handful of partners, she said, but those partners can use the tool to highlight new products and even user-generated content. “We’re not just advertising a location, but we’re also giving more to the experience,” Alexander said.
For its part, American Eagle won’t be advertising its Snap Map capabilities in marketing materials because it wants users to discover it on their own. “The organic aspect of [American Eagle] popping up is really important,” Schapiro said.
American Eagle’s bet on Snapchat follows other ways the company has tried to connect with Gen Z. This year, it has hosted pop-ups, started a Substack, launched an official affiliate program and upped its presence and ad spending on apps popular with young people, such as TikTok, Bluesky and Pinterest. American Eagle has already worked with Snapchat for years and has made millions of dollars from virtual storefronts on Snapchat.
American Eagle is trying to create a “full-funnel experience” on Snapchat, Schapiro said, and that includes its Lenses, too. American Eagle has rolled out 46 different Snapchat Lenses since August 2020, including one incorporating dancing jeans. The newest AE Lens, which debuts later this summer, lets users “try on” different styles of jeans, from baggy to straight leg. Users can then purchase those jeans by clicking a button that directs them to American Eagle’s website. AR will continue to be a big part of American Eagle’s work with Snapchat, Schapiro said.
Overall, American Eagle is excited about leveraging Snapchat to boost the company’s reach and revenue, Schapiro said. “When you can take the experience of how a customer is already living their life, and merge that with your brand and create fusion between the digital space and the physical space, that’s a tremendous opportunity for us as a brand,” she said.