By Megan Pfeffer
It’s the advertisement that everyone is talking about – whether they love it or hate it.
American Eagle released an ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney and the tagline: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
It was released ahead of the critical Back to School shopping season, where new jeans fly off the shelves.
The video features Sweeney walking around in American Eagle jeans and a denim jacket, highlights the style and comfort of the clothes, and ends with the tagline: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
There’s also large displays in stores with the tagline and photos of the ‘Anyone But You’ star in jeans.
Ever since the ads were released, the internet has exploded.
Critics claim there’s a lot of controversy over the tagline with some saying it’s Nazi propaganda. They claim the “great jeans” tagline is a double entrendre for great genes, and accuse American Eagle of commenting on the genetics of the blonde hair and blue eyed actress.
Here’s a news report summarizing the backlash:
Despite the backlash, American Eagle defended the campaign, saying “great jeans look good on everyone.”
Many are also praising the advertisement, claiming Sydney Sweeney is beautiful and there’s nothing wrong with promoting hotness.
Even President Trump voiced his support for the ad and for Sydney Sweeney, who is apparently a registered Republican.
Vice President JD Vance took a political reaction to the ad stating, “My political advice to the Democrats is to continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy.”
The ads generated tons of memes on social media.
Even the official White House account jumped on the meme train.
On another note, some have accused Dunkin Donuts of mimicking the American Eagle ad in their own new ad with ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ star Gavin Casalegno who ties his golden tan to his genetics.
Whether you love the ad or hate it, everyone can agree American Eagle’s ad with Sydney Sweeney generated tons of buzz during the competitive back to school shopping season.
Not only was the ad successful in going viral, but American Eagle saw its biggest daily stock jump in 25 years after President Trump voiced his support for Sweeney.
It’ll be interesting to see the final sales numbers after the Back to School shopping season concludes and to see if other brands try similar marketing strategies with objectively attractive celebrities.
If you want to take your marketing to the next level and create the next viral ad campaign, book a call with us today! Our team will examine your brand, learn about your audience, and craft a campaign that’ll connect, convert, and look cool all at the same time.
Oh, and we might not have access to Sydney Sweeney’s manager, but we’ve got great speakers and brand ambassadors for your campaign or conference, a bunch of viral influencers to help your stuff get eyes on it, and if you find yourself getting an onslaught of hate because people can be CRAZY, we’ve got the perfect crisis management public relations team out there.