The backlash did not fade these blues.
The campaign that fell this summer with American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney is Great Jeans” was loaded with critics arms with double entenders.
However, the controversy made headlines, but the final outcome was a different story. American Eagle says advertising is the most successful in the company’s history.
During its latest revenue call on Wednesday, the retailer reported $1.28 billion in revenue for the quarter ending August 2nd. Executives have praised the “Euphoria” actress for the massive boost, while Chief Marketing Director Craig Bromers calls the campaign a record-breaking.
“Sweeney was the winner and in just six weeks, the campaign has created an unprecedented new customer acquisition,” he said in the company’s revenue call.
The sales number backed him up. Sweeney’s custom jeans sold out in a week, selling jackets in a day, and her dedicated “Syd’s Picks” shop online has been restocked four times. The brand has gained new customers in all US counties and has seen brand awareness spike across demographics.
Bromers said in the fashion business that “Handdown, Sydney Sweeney has an amazing jeans campaign is the most successful campaign ever.”
The buzz was taken over to Wall Street. American Eagle’s shares rose more than 30% after earnings calls, making it one of the retailers’ best trading days for many years.
Since July, the campaign has been an online flashpoint. In one place, Sweeney tells viewers that parents give their children traits such as “hair color, personality, and even eye color” and say “my jeans are blue.”
The ad was quickly criticised on social media, with critics accusing the retailer of promoting eugenics and publishing “racialized dog whi” in plays with the words “genes” and “jeans.”
However, the actress herself remains a mother about the controversy and refuses to answer questions about the campaign in WSJ’s recent cover story.
However, the American Eagle has not retreated. Bromars said that if Sweeney continues as the face of the brand, a “new element” of the campaign will unfold this fall.
That push coincides with the well-known collaboration with the Tru Kolors brand of Travis Kelce, the first collection released on August 27th, a day after Kelce and Taylor Swift announced their engagement.
Brommers told BOF that the timing was unplanned but it certainly worked with the brand’s favor. This line was sold three times more on the first day of the previous collaboration, which was sold in a week. A second drop is planned for September 24th.
Regarding Sweeney’s campaign, Bromars said “the results of the marketing speak for itself.”
In this case, the actress’s “great jeans” turned out to be a great business.
