American Eagle and Aéropostale Campaign for Social Awareness

In an effort to raise awareness on political and social responsibility, companies such as American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Aéropostale Inc. have embarked on national campaigns that show young people its cool to get involved.

American Eagle Outfitters and G by Guess have partnered with Declare Yourself, a national, nonprofit campaign that motivates young people to register and vote.

American Eagle signed up to create a limited edition graphic T-shirt that will be available in stores this fall, according to Declare Yourself. The shirt, which says "Vote," will be sold for $15.50, with $5 going toward the Declare Yourself campaign.

G By Guess, a new contemporary sportswear brand, hosted in-store events on Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 that promoted voter registration and youth involvement in the 2008 presidential campaign. Voter registration tables were set up in G by Guess stores, and customers interested in registering were awarded a 20 percent-off coupon.

The G by Guess store in Memorial City Mall in Houston encouraged more than 50 new voter registrations in one day.

"The G by Guess customer is someone who will potentially be voting for the first time this year. It's really our duty to empower and educate these young people with the information that they will need in order to understand how crucial it is for them to get involved," said Paul Marciano, chief executive officer and co-chairman of Guess Inc.

Other retailers are making strides in getting teens to help those less fortunate.

Aéropostale launched a Teens for Jeans campaign that aims to shed light on the growing number of homeless teens in the United States and Canada.

Working with Do Something, a nonprofit organization that gives teens the tools they need to change the world, Aéropostale is asking customers to donate gently worn jeans to any of their 800 stores nationwide. In return they will receive a 20 percent coupon toward purchasing a new pair.

These jeans will be donated to local teen shelters or charities. The goal is to collect 100,000 pairs of jeans from Jan. 22 through Feb. 10. The company initially donated 10,000 pairs to the cause.

"The teen homelessness statistics are real and they are staggering," said Scott Brinbaum, senior vice president, marketing. "As a teenage brand, we are committed to causes that are relevant to our customers. With our resources and Do Something's power of engaging today's youth, Teens for Jeans is going to impact a lot of lives."