How Aéropostale Launched a Series with a Blogger and Doubled Instagram Engagement

American fashion brand Aéropostale released the second season of "The Intern Diaries" on YouTube and TikTok — six episodes with blogger DeJai Clark, shot as a full-fledged show with a director and titles. The project budget was low six figures in dollars for the entire season, while engagement on Instagram doubled compared to the brand's regular content, and YouTube showed the best audience retention metrics among all platforms. The project was created not as an advertising campaign, but as entertainment content with studio-level production — a format that major brands from Unilever to L'Oréal are now testing.

From social content to branded entertainment

The key difference between the second season and the first is the shift from a "social media content" format to an entertainment series. Maraisa Talberg, vice president and marketing director at Catalyst Brands, which manages the Aéropostale license, explains: the brand hired a director, created a graphic title sequence, and edited the show so viewers would watch all six episodes as one cohesive story. The plot is based on the blogger's real internship at the brand's office in New York, but with scripted and staged elements.

The series was shot horizontally for YouTube, but full episodes were also published on TikTok — despite DeJai Clark's main audience being there. The strategy paid off: each platform showed different performance metrics. YouTube delivered maximum audience retention, TikTok — the highest engagement, and Instagram doubled engagement compared to the brand's regular posts.

How to measure the effectiveness of a series with a blogger

The main goal of the project is to sell a clothing collection created in collaboration with DeJai Clark. The collection launched during the season premiere, and for the first two days it was sold exclusively through the brand's mobile app. In the first season, this mechanic brought the app to the top 5 of the App Store; in the second, to the top 30–40, which makes sense: the existing audience had already installed the app earlier.

Beyond direct sales, the team tracked the influx of new audiences. During the run of the second season, the brand's TikTok account gained a minimum of 50,000 new subscribers. Talberg emphasizes: for a teen brand, it's not just about the sales volume of a specific collection, but also about overall interest in the brand during a critical period — back-to-school season.

When a traditional advertising video budget can reach the same figures, we shot a six-episode show for low six figures in dollars — for the entire season, not per episode

Organic plus paid advertising: a hybrid distribution model

Aéropostale didn't rely solely on organic reach. The team used paid advertising on TikTok to bring episodes to new audiences — one viewer even left a comment under the first episode on YouTube asking if anyone else came through the TikTok ad. Talberg explains this as an amplification strategy: organic content creates a sense of authenticity, paid promotion expands reach and helps attract new subscribers.

An additional distribution channel was DeJai Clark's family itself. Her parents also run blogs, and the entire family's participation in the project gave access to their audiences. For the brand, this was an opportunity to introduce Aéropostale to people who had either never heard of it or didn't think of it as a relevant choice.

Production organization: who makes the series within the brand

The project is overseen by a unified team under the marketing director's management: integrated marketing, creative, and social media work together. Authentic Studios — a division of Authentic Brands Group, which owns the Aéropostale license — took on the production side. No new full-time positions were created — the team remained "quite compact," as Talberg puts it.

This approach demonstrates that launching branded entertainment doesn't require creating a separate production company or hiring a film studio. A partnership with an experienced team and clear role distribution is sufficient: marketing handles strategy and distribution, the studio handles shooting and editing.

What this means for the Russian market

The format of serial content with bloggers is just beginning to gain momentum among Russian brands. The main barriers are unclear effectiveness measurement models and fear of "Netflix-sized" budgets. Aéropostale's experience shows: even low six figures in dollars (roughly $100–300K for the entire season, which at the current exchange rate is equivalent to 9–27 bln ₽) produces a six-episode studio-quality series — comparable to the budget for a series of YouTube spots or a major campaign with top bloggers.

Russian brands can adapt this mechanics by considering several factors. First, blogger selection should be based not only on reach but also on the ability to hold attention in long-form content — this is a separate skill, different from creating 15-second Reels. Second, the horizontal format for YouTube is justified if the goal is to create a long-lasting content asset that will work for years. Third, the hybrid distribution model (organic + paid) allows you to manage the balance between engagement and reach.

Step-by-step plan for launching a series with a blogger

• Define your business goal. Collection sales, app installs, subscriber growth — the metric should be measurable and tied to revenue or customer LTV.
• Choose a blogger with long-form experience. Check the average watch duration of their videos, not just reach and engagement in short clips.
• Develop a plot around a real process. An internship, collection creation, product launch participation — viewers should believe this isn't a staged ad.
• Budget for production and distribution. Shooting, editing, graphics, plus paid advertising for initial reach — all part of the investment.
• Distribute content across platforms. YouTube for retention and long-term storage, TikTok for engagement, Instagram for the brand's existing audience.
• Tie product launch to episode release schedule. App exclusivity, limited drops in key episodes — mechanics that convert views into purchases.
• Measure beyond just views. App installs, subscriber growth, collection sales, customer acquisition cost — the full funnel from content to transaction.

Format prospects: what the brand is planning

The Aéropostale team is already discussing a third season. Talberg says the key discovery is having "a good story to tell." A real internship program, behind-the-scenes access to a major fashion brand in New York, the opportunity for young people to see themselves in that role — all this creates natural curiosity that you can't buy with a regular integration.

From the first season to the second, the format shifted toward entertainment: less documentary style, more scripted elements and "conceptuality." This is a trend observed with other brands too: viewers are willing to watch branded content if it's on par with regular YouTube shows in quality.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to produce a series with a blogger for a brand?

Aéropostale spent low six figures in dollars on the entire second season of six episodes — comparable to the budget for producing several advertising spots or a series of integrations with top bloggers. The exact cost depends on the production level, the blogger's fee, and the volume of paid promotion.

How do you measure the effectiveness of branded entertainment?

Key metrics: direct sales of the product collection tied to the series; subscriber and app install growth; engagement across different platforms; audience retention across episodes. It's important to compare these metrics with the brand's regular content to assess the lift.

Do you need to create a separate team to produce series with bloggers?

Not necessarily. Aéropostale used its existing marketing team and brought in Authentic Studios as an external partner for production. The key requirement is clear role distribution among creative, social media, and production partners.

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