Latest news with #AmericanEagleOutfitters'
Campaign ME
6 days ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Marketers react to American Eagle's Sydney Sweeney ad: Virality vs. value
If there's one topic that absolutely every marketer seems to have an opinion on at the moment – whether spoken out loud, or silently in coffee huddles, or not verbalised but constantly thought about – it's New York Stock Exchange-listed American Eagle Outfitters' Sydney Sweeney campaign. The discussions brought back the age-old debate about how marketing campaigns ought to be judged and measured – whether success is purely based on business outcomes, brand sentiment and brand lift studies, or its social impact and effectiveness in terms of moving the needle on purpose-led conversations? At the time of writing, American Eagle shares had climbed 17 per cent since the July 23 launch of the Sydney Sweeney ad campaign, raising the apparel retailer's stock to $12.58, marking a 23.94 per cent lift month on month and sending the brand's market capitalisation soaring to $2.2bn. However, data that drives past financial milestones shows a potential reputational and brand hit, with foot traffic falling 9 per cent year-on-year for the week of August 3 to August 9, a considerable drop considering a 4 per cent decline in foot traffic the previous week, according to data shared by retail market intelligence company pass_by. Although American Eagle's mention volume rose 18 times higher following the campaign launch, according to Signal AI data, its sentiment toward the brand plummeted from +50 to -31. Meanwhile, data and insights company Consumer Edge reported that traffic to American Eagle's US website bumped up more than 60 per cent on July 28, compared with the same day the previous year, closing off the first week of the campaign's launch on a high, although several other reports indicate that sales haven't risen considerably year on year, the brand has reportedly recorded more than $2mn in sales already. Campaign Middle East kept a close eye on how brand and marketing leaders in the region have reacted, sharing their opinions on various social media channels. Here's a brief compilation of some of their thoughts: Hubert Boulos, Founder of Das Kapital, said: (sic) 'Ok loads of interpretations, like ' is this the end of woke-ism?' etc.. in the end it's just a funny clever idea that built business beyond imagination: genes sound like Jeans , a celebrity and boom… sales through the roof ( it increased the market capitalization of the brand by 400 Million USD in one day!)That's why the algorithm hates advertising… it beats it anytime and it's not even close. This is clever and light yet it did wonders. Just imagine campaigns with a little bit more creativity and depth… Ideas do actually work!' Marwa Kaabour, Group Marketing and Corporate Communications Director, Al Masaood, said: 'We've seen this before. Brands chasing attention, not intention. Provocation over purpose. And it shows. Advertising can be funny. Yet, it can even be polarising. But it must, at the very least, be aware. Aware of timing. Aware of tone. Aware of the cultural moment we're all living in. Not this jeans, not for me, not for many. There's something profoundly unsettling about American Eagle's latest campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney — and no, it's not just the awkward wordplay. Let's forget the controversy for just a second. Strip it back to the core idea. Even then — it doesn't hold. It's not that the campaign is offensive by design. It's that it's creatively thin. A hollow concept dressed up in celebrity gloss. A tagline that leans on legacy ideals of beauty and genetics. And a moment of silence where cultural insight should've been.' Mazen Hayek, an advisor to senior officials and C-suite executives in the region, pointed out how American Eagle 'doubled down on its controversial ad campaign'. He said, 'American Eagle's ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney has ignited a new brand-driven culture war about beauty standards, race and representation. While the campaign first went viral on social media, it also garnered coverage in roughly 3,000 news articles. Those generated more than 50 million readers, according to Memo readership data shared with Axios.' Fatima Shaikh, Director – Strategy, Content and Innovation – AI, Radix Media MENA, highlighted viewpoints of many others who sat on the fence, saying, 'For once, I don't seem to have an opinion. Not sure if it was good or bad. Well intended or cheeky. Smart or just bizarre.' Globally, Chelsea Burns, CEO, The Marketing Psychologist, shared, 'The campaign was engineered for outrage. Not resonance. Not representation. But reactivity. And that's exactly what happened. Over 200 million impressions in 48 hours. A dopamine spike for the brand. A cortisol crash for the audience. But here's the thing: 📉 Attention doesn't equal alignment. 📉 Nostalgia doesn't equal trust. 📉 And virality doesn't equal value.' Sharing a directly opposing viewpoint to 'virality doesn't equal value', Rhonda Swan, CEO, The Unstoppable Branding Agency, said, 'Virality beats vanilla. Was it controversial? Absolutely. Was it intentional? No question. Was it genius? 100 per cent. American Eagle didn't just drop a campaign … they dropped a cultural bomb. And it worked: ✅ $2M+ in sales ✅ Thousands of shares, stitches, and headlines ✅ Everyone talking…whether they loved it or hated it They didn't sell jeans. They sold attention. They sold a moment. They sold emotion …and the world clicked, commented and converted.' The jury's still out on whether the marketing world is going to reach a consensus. If you've got an opinion and would like it to be added into this article, drop us an email.
Toronto Star
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Ads hold up a mirror to our culture. Here's what that Sydney Sweeney spot is really telling us
Half a century ago, advertising legend David Ogilvy insisted that ads merely 'reflect the mores of society' and do not shape them. It was a comforting thought for a gentler media age, when television networks and glossy magazines set the limits of cultural conversation. Today, that tidy distinction feels quaint. In a 24/7 social-media swirl, where a 15-second TikTok can spark a boycott and a billboard can ignite a culture-war skirmish, advertising still mirrors society, but it also polishes, distorts, and occasionally weaponizes the reflection. The most recent lightning rod is American Eagle Outfitters' denim campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney. In the spot, Sweeney explains that 'genes are passed down from parents to offspring,' while showing off her 'jeans' that happen to be blue. Some viewers shrugged; others saw an old-school nod to sex appeal. Then came the internet hot-take machine, accusing the brand of dog-whistle messaging about 'good genes' and even flirting with eugenics. That leap may feel far-fetched, but the speed with which it travelled is a reminder that every ad today lands in an environment primed for maximal interpretation. And, given the U.S. President's impulse to insert himself in online conversations that suit his agenda, it's no surprise that he couldn't resist a shout-out to Sweeney: 'a registered Republican' featured in the 'HOTTEST ad out there.'
Hans India
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Backlash Erupts Over Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle Photoshoot Amid Political Controversy and Comparisons to 2009 Campaign
The debate surrounding American Eagle Outfitters' "Great Jeans" campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney does not appear to be slowing down. Over the course of more than 10 days, advertisements with "The White Lotus" actress are generating news coverage and social media rebukes. U.S. President Donald Trump has fueled the eugenics controversy during the weekend and David Lipman, a veteran advertising creative director on Monday, suggested to suggest that this American Eagle campaign recreated the look he created in 2009 when he collaborated by collaborating with Georgia May Jagger for Hudson Jeans. When a reporter revealed the voter registration status of Sydney Sweeney, Trump commented on Truth Social and called her the most talked about and viral ad campaign on the market. Trump acknowledged the great jeans genes ad and said it was flying off the shelves and encouraged Sydney to keep up her efforts. A media inquiry for the U.S. Office of Government Ethics seeking to know if Trump endorsement was in line the rules regarding "Endorsing Organizations, Products or Persons" was not acknowledged on Monday. American Eagle's stock surge 23.5 percent to close at $13.28. This is a significant increase compared to Friday which saw it drop by just a fraction of 1. At 27years old, Sweeney's Instagram following has risen to 25 million by Friday night, to 25.2 million. Additionally the popularity of her American Eagle campaign video has grown to 1.3 million views and attracted between 36,600 to 57,600 responses an increase of 57,600 from 5,483 posts earlier during the same time. Based on Susan Scafidi, founder and director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham University If Sydney B. Sweeney registered as an Republican within Florida was the exact person that is being discussed as a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, then party operatives could be forming narratives that have white supremacist themes.
LeMonde
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad sparks controversy online and pleases Donald Trump
In the languor of summer, investors were the first to sense the opportunity, sending American Eagle Outfitters' stock soaring by about 20% in a matter of days. The reason: a new ad campaign featuring American actress Sydney Sweeney. It was a throwback to the 1980s, with a blonde star leaning into her car engine while the viewer's gaze follows her neckline, before wiping her hands on the back pockets of her jeans and speeding off in her Ford Mustang: 1.9 million views on Instagram. At another moment, the camera lingers on Sweeney's blue jeans before moving up to her blue eyes: "My jeans are blue," says the actress after praising the passing down of genes from one's parents. "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," concludes a voice-over, creating ambiguity between "jeans" and "genes." At a third moment, viewed by 4.5 million online users, the actress puts up a poster of herself where the word "genes" is crossed out and replaced with "jeans." Whether seen as highly glamorous or hopelessly outdated, investors don't care, since the controversy has been spreading online: "Supremacist dog whistles," accused influencer Chris Glover, known as GenericArtDad, on TikTok. "The new American Eagle Ad with Sydney Sweeney? That's Eugenics. Nazi propaganda. And it's blatant. Like, you don't even need media literacy. It's that on the nose obvious," echoed author Elle M. Drew on Threads.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Has Announced A Dividend Of $0.125
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.'s (NYSE:AEO) investors are due to receive a payment of $0.125 per share on 25th of April. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.8%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns. While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. American Eagle Outfitters' stock price has reduced by 39% in the last 3 months, which is not ideal for investors and can explain a sharp increase in the dividend yield. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. However, American Eagle Outfitters' earnings easily cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business. EPS is set to fall by 3.9% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 27%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future. Check out our latest analysis for American Eagle Outfitters The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. There hasn't been much of a change in the dividend over the last 10 years. Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent. Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. American Eagle Outfitters has impressed us by growing EPS at 11% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time. Overall, we think that this is a great income investment, and we think that maintaining the dividend this year may have been a conservative choice. The company is generating plenty of cash, and the earnings also quite easily cover the distributions. We should point out that the earnings are expected to fall over the next 12 months, which won't be a problem if this doesn't become a trend, but could cause some turbulence in the next year. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock. Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for American Eagle Outfitters (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about. Is American Eagle Outfitters not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
