Case Study: New Balance achieves 3.3% purchase lift and +3 pt brand favorability with Snapchat's Shoppable AR Lens

New Balance drives purchase with a multi-product strategy, led by a shoppable AR try-on Lens

New Balance partnered with NBA star Kawhi Leonard to launch a themed sneaker collection — including a limited Jolly Rancher-inspired design — and needed to drive awareness and purchases among younger shoppers. The challenge was to translate a product launch into measurable engagement and sales, especially with Gen Z audiences on mobile.

They ran a multi-product Snapchat campaign for users aged 13–24 featuring Snap Ads and a shoppable AR try‑on Lens that let people virtually try sneakers and swipe up to buy, using goal-based bidding to optimize for swipes and site visits. The campaign reached 7.3M Snapchatters (average 20s try-on), nearly 250k swipe-ups, delivered a +5‑pt lift in ad awareness, +3‑pt lift in brand favorability and +2‑pt lift in purchase intent, and drove a 3.3% incremental purchase lift at $55.68 cost per incremental purchase.

New Balance

Andrew Merle

Director, North America Brand & Consumer Marketing