Dive Brief:

• Footwear retailer Aldo is launching an Instagram campaign, “Inspired by Aldo,” that features successful creatives from fields other than fashion. 
• The first episode in the campaign offers @SundaySuppers chef/food stylist Karen Mordechai baking a salted chocolate cake in Aldo boots. 
• The Kettle campaign will also feature paid media in Facebook, as well as Pinterest boards of each influencer’s favorite Aldo picks. 

Dive Insight:

Footwear retailer Aldo is seeking to set itself apart from the many other fashion brands cluttering Instagram by shining the spotlight on creatives who excel in their fields—and also just happen to like Aldo shoes and accessories. The “Inspired by Aldo” campaign will offer photo sets featuring an accomplished chef, a floral arranger, a designer, and a photographer doing what they do best in their Aldo gear.

The brand will encourage engagement with the “Inspiration is Everyone” contest, asking fans to name the people who inspire them for a chance to win $250 Aldo gift card.

Instagram is where beauty and style now “live” in the social media, with 95% of beauty brands on the platform as of August 2015, according to benchmarking firm L2. More than a showplace for pretty pictures, Instagram is emerging as a platform where brands can tell their stories in a way that’s similar to the product-placement photo spreads long featured in print magazines.