When ‘great jeans’ become political theatre
Sydney Sweeney’s campaign with American Eagle should have been a straightforward celebrity endorsement. Instead, it’s quickly turned into a masterclass in how multiple messaging missteps can completely overshadow a genuinely positive cause.
What was intended as clever wordplay about the actress having ‘great genes/jeans’ has instead become an incendiary cultural flashpoint, with backlash towards the campaign’s perceived eugenic undertones demonstrating the perils of tone-deaf messaging.
The autumn campaign, dubbed ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’, launched as American Eagle’s most expensive campaign to date, strategically timed for the critical back-to-school season. The effort features the White Lotus and Euphoria actress in head-to-toe denim alongside billboards proclaiming her ‘good genes’ before she crosses out ‘genes’ and replaces it with ‘jeans’: a completely unoriginal wordplay.
Likely to be one of the best marketing campaigns this year..
Despite what the perpetually offended may say or ‘feel’.
Having “great genes” means that someone is hot. That’s it. Doesn’t matter what race they are.
Couldn’t disagree more with this article.
It’s brilliant marketing – it’s no wonder the stock price has surged.
For the critics to effectively call people who like Sydney Sweeney – “white nationalists” and “fascists” – is incredibly insulting, tone deaf and offensive.
So what you call an “ill-fated” campaign drove AE’s market cap up US$200m, they sold out of the limited edition jean in 3 hours, and generated hundreds of millions of cross-platform impressions. Imagine the sort of success they could have had if they had taken all your sage advice.
Forget the static and the woke, it was good and deserves credit!
The campaign rocks, look at the sales. End of discussion
As usual the forever victims try to outshout the silent sane majority. It failed this time, the ads are brilliant. AE product would have never been purchased by a forever victim in the first place, so no loss there.
The comments here pretty much says what kind of people supports this campaign. AE market price surged because it got right-wing people to part with their money… they’re supporting what they believe is return to “white” supremacy. But we’re not ready to talk about that.
As Ricky Gervais once said, “How arrogant are people, who think they deserve to go through life and never hear anyone ever say or do anything that they don’t like or agree with.”
The point: Anyone can choose to be offended by something, but that doesn’t mean what they are offended by is wrong.
Unfortunately, it’s what this world has become.