Gap Inc.-owned apparel brand Old Navy is engaging millennials by showcasing its new spring line on microblogging social media application Tumblr and its Yahoo parent. 

The retailer's Tumblr page is the focus of the campaign with images, videos and various interactive content. Sponsored mobile posts on Tumblr and Yahoo ads will contain similar content.

"Digital advertising is evolving quickly for fashion brands, and mobile is a key part of this trend, so we're focused on sharing content and connecting with our consumers no matter what device they're using," said Michele Schuh, director of media at Old Navy, San Francisco. "For example, in our new spring campaign across Yahoo and Tumblr, we have native, display and video advertising running across both desktop and mobile."

Old Navy is continuing its partnership with fashion blog, styling and designer team Emily Current and Meritt Elliott with this campaign. Style recommendations and personalization tips from the duo will be the main advertising content on Tumblr and Yahoo. 

Capturing millennial demographic
Tumblr is a hub for millennial mobile activity and one of the most engaging platforms for the age group. By using the app, Old Navy gains greater access to this key demographic. 

The ads on both Tumblr and Yahoo operate as another blog post, featuring a video of Ms. Current and Ms. Elliott discussing styling tips for a road trip. The video displays attention-grabbing outfits and footage combined with aesthetically pleasing text.

The content of the sponsored posts makes sure to incorporate spring trends to engage millennials who are prone to winter doldrums this time of year. The more posts pertaining to spring and summer, the more interest it holds to the young group.

Ms. Current and Ms. Elliot will be partnering with Old Navy for two months, producing more videos and look books for the spring season. They will also feature friends and their children to show that the brand is family oriented.

Teaming up with the popular blogging pair is not the only Internet celebrities that Old Navy has used in its advertising. 

Old Navy re-imagined the tried-and-true celebrity tie-in for its previous back-to-school campaign by building the effort around stars from YouTube as opposed to television or film, reflecting how much time teens spend consuming video content from their mobile devices (see more).

New advertising technology
The Old Navy posts on Tumblr and Yahoo are all hi-res to really grab the attention of the consumer where they can peruse upcoming spring and new Old Navy merchandise. The videos will also be pre-roll ads on other Yahoo content. 

A new feature in Yahoo splash ads allows advertisers to display multiple hi-res images at once creating a greater story for the consumer. Old Navy will be the first retailer to use this.

Old Navy's road trip ad on Yahoo and Tumblr

This type of feature in ads is a growing trend for companies looking for advertisers. For example, popular photography application Instagram is foraying into the world of performance advertising by introducing clickable links and carousel ads that offer deeper content and a story feel (see more).

The spring Old Navy campaign will continue into April. 

"We're constantly looking for new ways to connect with our consumer in meaningful ways and share content that matters to her in places like Tumblr and Yahoo that she trusts for fashion information and tips," Ms. Schuh said. "Social platforms like Tumblr offer opportunities to create rich experiences for our consumers.

"With Yahoo and Tumblr, we could also extend these experiences through native, video and display advertising to a much wider audience," she said.

Final Take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily, New York