Victoria?s Secret is continuing last year?s significant push for social media domination by perfecting the art of organic branded content on Snapchat ? this time starring its Angel ambassadors to promote a limited-time sale.

Snapchat's successful leap into advertising has deemed it a must-have platform for any top retailer, especially one marketing to younger consumers and millennials. The social network's key demographic of 15 to 25-year-olds has transformed it into a vast opportunity to hit mobile marketing home runs with the help of real-time updates, brand influencers and limited-time content.

?In today's marketplace, brands would be remiss to overlook social media opportunities in their outreach strategy,? said Laura Sossong, consultant at Boston Retail Partners. ?The presence of spokesmodels at every consumer touchpoint is vital to maintain a strong, consistent brand image and extend consumer dialogue year-round in an alluring and enticing way.?

Leveraging brand influencers
Victoria?s Secret ensures that its well-recognized Angel ambassadors stay in the spotlight with any branded endeavors, including new product launches and catalog shoots. The retailer also enjoys giving its fans direct access to the models by using social media to bridge the gap between them.

The lingerie giant is giving viewers a first-hand look at how its current sportswear sale items appear in real life by employing the Angels to star in several public Snapchat Stories. Additionally, the brand is posting aggressively on Instagram to ensure its followers do not miss out on a chance to receive a free sport pant with the purchase of any full-price sport bra.

To promote the sale, Victoria?s Secret tapped spokeswomen Martha Hunt and Elsa Hosk to connect with fans via the short video clips and still images, which featured the Angels wearing branded sport pants and sport bras.

In the first Story, Ms. Hosk and Ms. Hunt greet viewers from their gym location and vow to ?put the world?s best sport bras to the test.?

Subsequent clips show Ms. Hunt wearing the Lightweight Sport Bra while Ms. Hosk models the Angel Sport Bra.

The ladies then inform Snapchat followers of their plans to have an impromptu boxing match in the gym, before reminding viewers to head to their nearest Victoria?s Secret store or shop online to take advantage of the sale, which enables shoppers to receive a free sport pant with any full-price sport bra purchase.

The brand bookended this content with a slew of Instagram posts, also starring Ms. Hosk and Ms. Hunt, which included more information about the limited-time promotion.

Snapchat offers an aura of exclusivity for many brand fans, as followers must know the name of their favorite marketers' Snapchat accounts if they would like to follow along with real-time updates. While Instagram provides a myriad of great branding opportunities as well, the images and videos posted are typically heavily edited, thereby removing any relatable factors.

Apparel retailer Express also tapped Snapchat to advertise its activewear line in the past few days. A social influencer was seen running on a treadmill in the brand's workout leggings, showing followers exactly how the product looks and can be used in real life.

Using brand spokespeople and social influencers is a smart move for any retailers with millennial ? or younger ? target audiences. Many customers will be more likely to take note of a product if an admired celebrity or recognizable face is affiliated with it.

A Schick executive at the 2015 Mobile Marketing Association Forum New York affirmed that tapping social media influencers catapults the effectiveness and reach of mobile advertising (see story).

Victoria?s Secret also assigned the hashtag #ThisisEpic to the sale and encouraged fans to upload their sale purchases onto Instagram for others to see. Additionally, users who search the hashtag will be able to view all aggregated posts related to the promotion.

Building on 2015
Victoria?s Secret leveraged one of the most visible social media pushes of any retailer last year, leaning heavily on its Instagram and Snapchat channels in particular to resonate with younger consumers and make its Angel ambassadors more accessible to fans.

This led to the brand fueling more mobile buzz, which translated into higher in-store traffic and an uptick in followers.

Victoria?s Secret unclasped fans? excitement for its annual fashion show this past November by asking Snapchat followers to draw their own fantasy bra with the photo-sharing application?s doodle features (see story).

Later that week, the lingerie marketer invited customers to partake in a social-enabled fashion show party by asking for a ticket in stores, snapping a photo with the ticket and uploading it on Instagram in exchange for a $10 coupon (see story).

?Featuring a consistent promotion across all channels is a compelling and effective way to maximize brands? market reach and truly call consumers to act,? Ms. Sossong said. ?With a multi-platform social media approach, retailers can test the effectiveness of concurrent campaigns for insight on what platform or message gains the best customer traction.

?Victoria?s Secret?s creative approach for this campaign will allow it to optimize the interplay of text, images and videos based on the social media best suited for each medium.?