Welcome to Spot Check, a column by The Business of Fashion breaking down the most talked-about fashion and beauty campaigns of the moment and why they worked — or missed the mark.
Four months after its ads featuring Sydney Sweeney touched off a cultural firestorm, American Eagle is returning to its “Great Jeans” campaign.
In its latest spot, which rolled out today on social media and streaming TV, Martha Stewart wraps presents in denim “gift wrap” and quips, “This holiday season, we’re settling for nothing less than a perfect fit” — a wink to her regular use of the word “perfect” throughout her nearly 50-year cooking and hosting career.
This particular bit of wordplay — despite featuring another white, blonde star — is unlikely to touch off another online debate over race or gender; the most disturbing aspect of the campaign is probably the image of a full holiday dinner encased in denim, turkey and all.
But the goal is the same: get people talking.
“We know that the world is watching American Eagle campaigns right now, and that gives us the opportunity to introduce plot twists in the story,” said Craig Brommers, the brand’s chief marketing officer.
The brand’s previous denim campaign, featuring Sweeney, caused an uproar on the internet for playing on the concept that the actress has “great genes,” with commenters decrying the brand as promoting eugenics. Others, President Donald Trump included, fired back in defense of the brand. The results: All eyes on AE.
Despite — or perhaps, because — it was controversial, the Sweeney ad brought the retailer into the limelight after years outside of the cultural conversation. Following its release, the brand acquired nearly one million new customers and, according to Brommers in its second-quarter earnings call, was its most successful campaign to date. But sales in that period were still slightly lower than they were last year, when the company drove a record $1.3 billion in revenue for the quarter. To regain momentum, the brand needs more than one hit ad; it must keep generating buzz.
In addition to Stewart, American Eagle is doubling down on Sweeney. Just over a week before releasing the Stewart campaign, the brand shared more content featuring Sweeney wearing her butterfly patch-embroidered “Sydney Jean,” highlighting a restock of the sold-out piece. GQ also reignited the controversy around the ad with an interview of Sweeney, in which she failed to directly address the debate around the ad.
By releasing the Stewart campaign, the brand has created the ultimate one-two punch of marketing in 2025: wholesome holiday content that is hard to criticise in and of itself, while connecting the dots to its more controversial content.
“I’ve seen a huge evolution in the last year where people just don’t care about being cancelled anymore,” said Lauren Beeching, founder of crisis PR firm Honest London. “At least it gets spoken about … The amount of press [American Eagle] achieved would cost millions in PR.”
But there are other metrics than engagement — what people are actually saying and thinking about an ad matters too. According to The Business of Fashion’s brand performance tool, Insights Brand Pulse, American Eagle’s “connection” score, which tracks emotional resonance and positive consumer sentiment, dipped sharply upon the campaign’s release and has yet to return to pre-July levels. That may reflect how some consumers were turned off by the idea that American Eagle might be flirting with conservative — or even racist — ideas. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the brand’s chief executive Jay Schottenstein said, “We stand behind what we did.”
The Stewart campaign may be an attempt to thread the needle between continuing the cultural conversation and slowly regaining favour in some shoppers’ minds. Stewart is beloved by multiple generations, from those who came of age watching her how-to cooking videos to Gen-Z, who are feeling a wave of nostalgia for her thanks to cultural touchpoints like her documentary and viral friendship with rapper Snoop Dogg, and due to their own gravitation towards aesthetically pleasing hosting opportunities.
In addition to a social and digital push, the campaign will also be aired on streaming TV to reach these various generations of shoppers while they are together at home, watching football or holiday movies — and be an instant conversation starter.
“Partnering with Martha in this very moment makes so much sense, and will be a plot twist that I think people will be very engaged with,” said Brommers. “We are in the entertainment business.”
Stewart’s story also draws a neat parallel with what American Eagle may be attempting to recreate: Working with Stewart, who herself successfully executed a comeback after spending several months in jail, may be a way for the brand to align itself with her redemption narrative.
“If that person has successfully rebuilt their own image, the brand benefits from the same narrative,” said Beeching. “Comeback arcs can be quite powerful.”
And perhaps this time, in addition to driving revenue, the campaign may help consumer sentiment start to catch up as well.
“This is supposed to be fun,” said Brommers. “This is supposed to be an opportunity for Martha to have some winking humor.”
