3 ways fashion brands are infiltrating our favorite apps

When Michael Kors ran the first sponsored Instagram post in 2013, the backlash was immediate. Today, Instagram feeds are full of brands’ ads — including more from Michael Kors, which is quite taken with the photo and video sharing platform. This summer, it premiered a video series on Instagram to promote its Jet Set 6 summer collection, featuring model Lily Aldridge.

Elsewhere, brands are getting creative with ads meant to feel native to whatever social channel they’re creeping onto. Take Calvin Klein, for instance, which ran racy Tinder ads this past fall. On Tinder, don’t be surprised if, when swiping left and right through the app, you come across a model wearing Calvin Klein jeans and briefs.

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