After Sydney Sweeney, Gavin Casalegno's Dunkin' ad faces heat over ‘genetics'-obsessed campaigns
In the 30-second commercial, Casalegno, who plays Jeremiah in Amazon Prime Video's popular series, is seen lounging by a pool, sipping a drink, shirt open, showing off a tan. He says to the camera, 'Look, I didn't ask to be the king of summer. It just happened. This tan? Genetics.' He then adds he got a 'colour analysis' that confirmed he's a 'golden summer, literally.'
'I can't help it; every time I drink a Dunkin' Golden Hour Refresher, it's like the sun just finds me,' he continues in the ad. 'So if sipping these refreshers makes me the king of summer? Guilty as charged.' Earlier in its press statement, the brand said, 'Casalegno now claims his crown, a playful nod to his effortlessly sunny energy and the golden glow of his order: the Golden Hour Refresher,' without digging into the details.
Also read: American Eagle breaks silence on Sydney Sweeney ad controversy, dismisses 'absurd response' as internet noise
People called the ad weirdly obsessed with white features. One TikTok user wrote, 'It's giving white is right, yeah no.' Another asked, 'What's the link between coffee and genetics?' Some even pointed out the actor's blue eyes, just like Sydney Sweeney's, which once again stirred up talk around stereotyped perfect traits. Others dragged Dunkin', saying most of its stores are run by brown people, and this ad sends the opposite message. Casalegno, for his part, had said, 'There's just something about a summer sunset that makes everything feel a little better, and Dunkin's Golden Hour Refresher really captures that vibe. It's refreshing and kind of just lifts your mood. I've been a Dunkin' fan for years, so teaming up again is such a fun way to celebrate summer.'
This new controversy comes just days after Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign caused global uproar, with the brand stepping in to explain their goal was meant to support domestic violence prevention, claiming proceeds would go to a nonprofit. In her ad, she says, 'Genes are passed down… my jeans are blue,' playing on the word 'genes' and 'jeans'. But despite the brand's attempt to tone things down, people weren't convinced, especially with no real explanation for how the delivery came off as low-key pushing 'racial superiority,' with not-so-subtle nods to eugenics and 'ideal traits' like blonde hair and blue eyes.
Also read: 'Reaction to Sydney Sweeney's ad is cancel culture run amok, reason why Donald Trump won,' says White House representative
So now, with Gavin's Dunkin' ad dropping right after Sweeney's, people are starting to see a pattern. Some online are even wondering if both brands used the same agency. Then there's the other side of the internet, calling the backlash just another case of 'liberals overreacting' or people being 'too sensitive.' A few even mocked the whole Sweeney-Dunkin drama, saying things like, 'Dunkin' just sent the left into a full breakdown,' or 'Don't show this ad to the libs, they're about to lose it again.'
Recently, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung weighed in on the American Eagle backlash and dismissed the entire reaction as 'warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking,' adding that this is exactly why Americans voted the way they did in 2024.
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Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Sydney Sweeney's controversial ad campaign draws Trump's attention, he says 'advertising a very funny thing'
AP US President Donald Trump was asked about the Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle's ad by Newsmax anchor Rob Finnerty The ongoing controversy surrounding Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad has garnered a lot of attention online. Sweeney, 27, and American Eagle faced backlash earlier this week after the blonde-haired, blue-eyed 'White Lotus' starlet appeared in a new denim ad for the popular clothing and accessories retailer. It sparked a debate over race and Western beauty President Donald Trump was asked about the Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle's ad by Newsmax anchor Rob Finnerty. Trump was asked about the highly contested advertisement in a bizarre question that ended with the president going on a rant about transgender actress Dylan Mulvaney and his own experience with advertising, reports The Irish Star. ALSO READ: Social Security eyes massive reform in US: New policy could hit 3.4 million Americans this month "Your administration has been very open about the fact that American women are not having enough babies," the Newsmax anchor began his perplexing line of questioning. "There was an ad this week. Sydney Sweeney, an actress, was in an ad for Blue Jeans. The ad is doing very well. It's very popular. The jeans are sold out," he went on before asking, "Does America need to see more ads like that? And maybe fewer ads with people like Dylan Mulvaney on the cover?" ALSO READ: Solar Eclipse on August 2 in US? What NASA has said on world going dark for 6 minutes Trump took the bait and went on a rant about the Bud Light campaign. He said, "The Dylan Mulvaney ad was perhaps the most unsuccessful ad in history. It knocked 35 million dollars off the value of a certain company. You know what I'm talking about. That was one of the great disasters of all time. I would say it was probably the most unsuccessful ad, worst ad ever." He continued, "You know, advertising is a very funny thing. I've done ads where I thought they were lousy and they turned out to be iconic, and then I've done some that I thought were beauties that were gonna be fantastic, and they weren't so good, so to each his own. But the Dylan Mulvaney ad was a total disaster." The Newsmax anchor paired the question with an onscreen banner that read, "Trump ends the era of woke."ALSO READ: 'Rage Against The Regime' protests: Over 300 US cities hosting anti-Trump demonstrations today on JD Vance's birthday. Full list American Eagle is standing by its controversial ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney, which includes various commercials with the tagline: 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.' The campaign has been criticized for promoting eugenics with its tagline, "Sydney Sweeney has good jeans," which many interpreted as a white supremacist dog whistle. ''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' the company said Friday in a statement obtained by The Post. 'Her jeans. Her story.' 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,' the statement continued. 'Great jeans look good on everyone.''I have great jeans… now you can too,' the 'Euphoria' actress wrote on Instagram on July 23, alongside a video for the controversial campaign. But some social media users compared the marketing move to "Nazi propaganda". ALSO READ: Stimulus payments August 2025: These US states will receive financial benefit. Do you qualify? 'I thought it was gonna be, like, kinda bad, but wow,' one critic wrote on TikTok. 'That's gonna be in history books!' 'I will be the friend that's too woke, but those Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ads are weird,' another added. 'Like, fascist weird. Like Nazi propaganda weird.' Singers Lizzo, 37, and Doja Cat, 29, also took to social media to ridicule Sweeney and American Eagle over the controversy. 'My jeans are black…' the 'Truth Hurts' singer wrote alongside a digitally altered picture showing herself in the denim shirt and jeans that Sweeney wore for the American Eagle photo shoot. Doja Cat shared a TikTok video of herself repeating Sweeney's American Eagle campaign monologue with an exaggerated accent. American Eagle appeared to distance itself from the 'Nazi propaganda' backlash by sharing other ads from the campaign that did not feature Sweeney.'Denim on denim on denim… on denim,' the company wrote alongside the new ad on July 27. 'AE has great jeans.' Plus, American Eagle's stock rose more than 10% immediately after the new campaign kicked off on July 23.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Sydney Sweeney's controversial ad campaign draws Trump's attention, he says 'advertising a very funny thing'
What Trump said on Sydney Sweeney ad controversy Live Events Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle controversy (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The ongoing controversy surrounding Sydney Sweeney 's American Eagle ad has garnered a lot of attention online. Sweeney, 27, and American Eagle faced backlash earlier this week after the blonde-haired, blue-eyed 'White Lotus' starlet appeared in a new denim ad for the popular clothing and accessories retailer. It sparked a debate over race and Western beauty President Donald Trump was asked about the Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle's ad by Newsmax anchor Rob Finnerty. Trump was asked about the highly contested advertisement in a bizarre question that ended with the president going on a rant about transgender actress Dylan Mulvaney and his own experience with advertising, reports The Irish Star."Your administration has been very open about the fact that American women are not having enough babies," the Newsmax anchor began his perplexing line of questioning. "There was an ad this week. Sydney Sweeney, an actress, was in an ad for Blue Jeans. The ad is doing very well. It's very popular. The jeans are sold out," he went on before asking, "Does America need to see more ads like that? And maybe fewer ads with people like Dylan Mulvaney on the cover?"Trump took the bait and went on a rant about the Bud Light campaign. He said, "The Dylan Mulvaney ad was perhaps the most unsuccessful ad in history. It knocked 35 million dollars off the value of a certain company. You know what I'm talking about. That was one of the great disasters of all time. I would say it was probably the most unsuccessful ad, worst ad ever."He continued, "You know, advertising is a very funny thing. I've done ads where I thought they were lousy and they turned out to be iconic, and then I've done some that I thought were beauties that were gonna be fantastic, and they weren't so good, so to each his own. But the Dylan Mulvaney ad was a total disaster." The Newsmax anchor paired the question with an onscreen banner that read, "Trump ends the era of woke."American Eagle is standing by its controversial ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney, which includes various commercials with the tagline: 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.' The campaign has been criticized for promoting eugenics with its tagline, "Sydney Sweeney has good jeans," which many interpreted as a white supremacist dog whistle.''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' the company said Friday in a statement obtained by The Post. 'Her jeans. Her story.' 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,' the statement continued. 'Great jeans look good on everyone.''I have great jeans… now you can too,' the 'Euphoria' actress wrote on Instagram on July 23, alongside a video for the controversial campaign. But some social media users compared the marketing move to "Nazi propaganda".'I thought it was gonna be, like, kinda bad, but wow,' one critic wrote on TikTok. 'That's gonna be in history books!''I will be the friend that's too woke, but those Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ads are weird,' another added. 'Like, fascist weird. Like Nazi propaganda weird.' Singers Lizzo, 37, and Doja Cat, 29, also took to social media to ridicule Sweeney and American Eagle over the controversy.'My jeans are black…' the 'Truth Hurts' singer wrote alongside a digitally altered picture showing herself in the denim shirt and jeans that Sweeney wore for the American Eagle photo shoot. Doja Cat shared a TikTok video of herself repeating Sweeney's American Eagle campaign monologue with an exaggerated Eagle appeared to distance itself from the 'Nazi propaganda' backlash by sharing other ads from the campaign that did not feature Sweeney.'Denim on denim on denim… on denim,' the company wrote alongside the new ad on July 27. 'AE has great jeans.' Plus, American Eagle's stock rose more than 10% immediately after the new campaign kicked off on July 23.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
American Eagle backs Sydney Sweeney's wordplay ad campaign, says ‘it's about the jeans, nothing more'
American Eagle has backed Sydney Sweeney and responded to criticism over its latest campaign featuring the actress, after a promotional video sparked backlash for its use of wordplay involving 'jeans' and 'genes. The tagline, 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans, " was a cheeky reference to the brand's denim line. However, some viewers interpreted it as a double entendre that veered into problematic territory, especially after a teaser video surfaced online. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Design Thinking Finance MCA Others Management Technology Cybersecurity Healthcare Operations Management Leadership Data Analytics Digital Marketing Project Management healthcare Artificial Intelligence Public Policy others Product Management Degree CXO MBA Data Science Data Science PGDM Skills you'll gain: Duration: 22 Weeks IIM Indore CERT-IIMI DTAI Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 25 Weeks IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK PCP DTIM Async India Starts on undefined Get Details In the now-viral clip shared on social media, Sweeney says: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.' While not part of the official campaign, the video quickly drew criticism, with some accusing it of echoing language linked to eugenics and racially charged ideologies. A number of social media users and commentators claimed the phrasing and aesthetics of the teaser bore similarities to Nazi white supremacist propaganda. Others argued the controversy was exaggerated, calling the ad a harmless pun with no deeper intent. Live Events Amid the mounting debate, American Eagle issued a statement defending its creative direction: ''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' the company clarified. 'Her jeans. Her story. We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by American Eagle (@americaneagle) This is the brand's first public comment since the campaign launched last week. Prior to the release, American Eagle's Chief Marketing Officer described the messaging as intentionally 'provocative' and said it was designed to 'push buttons.' Whether the backlash was anticipated or not, marketing experts suggest the controversy could benefit the brand by keeping it in the spotlight. FAQs Why is Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad being criticized? The ad sparked backlash over its tagline 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,' which some interpreted as a controversial wordplay on 'genes,' drawing unintended associations with eugenics. What did American Eagle say about the 'great jeans' controversy? American Eagle clarified that the campaign was solely about denim and personal style, stating, 'It's about the jeans—her jeans, her story,' denying any deeper or offensive connotations. Has Sydney Sweeney responded to the jeans/genes ad backlash? As of now, Sydney Sweeney has not issued a public response regarding the controversy surrounding the American Eagle campaign.
