Inside the C-Suite: Anthropologie launches Maeve as a new brand using influencers, TikTok and (of course) Substack

Maeve, an in-house brand to Anthropologie and under its parent company URBN (which includes Urban Outfitters and Free People), joins brands already on Substack as company execs see it as the new approach into editorial — like the media industry itself — with journalists and creators moving to the platform to stabilize their business models.

Brands have previously tipped their toes into editorial by launching whole media publications — think MEL Magazine from Dollar Shave Club or Here Magazine from luggage company Away.

“As traditional advertising is dead — or dying — our customers both internally and at a macro level are in many ways telling us that the way to their wallet is through their hearts,” said Barbra Sainsurin, recently named global CMO of Anthropologie Group. “As a result, I feel like brands have quickly realized that we need to pivot and think of ourselves as a media publisher [rather] than as content creators in order to effectively compete and in order to stay top of mind.”

Maeve’s Substack — called “& one more thing” — is the first for Anthropologie and will cover everything from fashion trend takes to personal essays and designer spotlights. Topics to connect with readers “on a deeper level,” Sainsurin said, and marry Maeve’s core demo of females between the ages of 25 and 45. And while it will be mostly written internally, there’s room for guest writers, Sainsurin added, who said that its exact cadence is yet to be determined, though there will be multiple sends per week.

The Substack will launch as free as a brand building measure and Sainsurin isn’t planning on monetizing it — ”yet” — but will focus on each post’s engagement numbers (or number of shares) as a primary KPI.

There are already a number of brands that have created Substacks. Madewell, The RealReal and Rare Beauty are ones that have performed “especially well,” according to Christina Loff, head of lifestyle, Substack Partnerships, who did not say by what measure.

But, she said, publishers in the fashion & beauty category on Substack collectively earn more than $10 million annually in paid subscriptions. The number of publications and subscriptions in this category have more than doubled over the past year, though specific figures were not provided.

“On social platforms, brands compete with algorithms and influencer noise. On Substack, they control the message and reach audiences who have opted in to hear from them. That’s a powerful shift from chasing attention to cultivating it,” said Pat Attenasio, director of brand communications, Siegel+Gale, a brand consultancy, in an email. “Substack turns branded content into something more sustainable. A direct relationship built on curiosity, consistency and care.”

Over the past year, Maeve drove nearly 10+ million TikTok views, close to 3 million searches on Anthropologie.com as its most searched brand and was shopped by nearly 2 million customers, according to the company.

Made popular with fans among its range of products, including its Colette cut of pants, the brand has increased its inventory of Colette by 10 times since its inception five years ago, according to the company. “She [Maeve] can stand on her own as a standalone brand because she’s already won over the trust of our customers,” Sainsurin said. The brand will have its own gateway path from Anthropologie.com.

Maeve’s social presence will vary by channel — from visually compelling stories on Instagram to going “bigger” and having more “co-created” media with content creators and brand partners on TikTok compared to the Anthropologie TikTok account, she added.

Maeve is launching with a pop-up event today, called House of Maeve, where the brand is gathering over 150 influencers to tease behind-the-scenes products and a mockup of the store.

And while Sainsurin would not share the exact spend breakdown on how much they’re spending on CTV, OOH or influencers, she said that this content strategy is “the most robust and the biggest investment we’ve made in our history of launching brand campaigns.”

“We feel community-first, deeper storytelling, developing more intimate connections — influencers are one way into helping us achieve those goals,” Sainsurin said.