NEW YORK — U.S. fashion retailer American Eagle Outfitters wanted to make a splash with its new advertising campaign starring actor , 27. The ad blitz included "clever, even provocative language" and was "definitely going to push buttons," the company's chief marketing officer told trade media outlets.
Sydney Sweeney poses for photographers June 10 as she arrives at the premiere of the film "Echo Valley" in London.
The question now is whether some of the public reactions the produced is what intended.
Titled "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," the campaign sparked a debate about race, Western beauty standards and the . Most of the negative reception focused on videos that used the word "genes" instead of "jeans" when discussing the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actor "Euphoria" and "White Lotus."
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Some critics saw the wordplay as a nod, either unintentional or deliberate, to eugenics, a discredited theory that held humanity could be improved through selective breeding for certain traits.
Marcus Collins, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, said the criticism could have been avoided if the ads showed models of various races making the "genes" pun.
"You can either say this was ignorance, or this was laziness, or say that this is intentional," Collins said. "Either one of the three aren't good."
Other commenters accused detractors of reading too much into the campaign's message.
"I love how the leftist meltdown over the Sydney Sweeney ad has only resulted in a beautiful white blonde girl with blue eyes getting 1000x the exposure for her 'good genes,'" former Fox News host Megyn Kelly wrote Tuesday on social media.
American Eagle didn't respond to requests for comment.
American Eagle Outfitters unveiled its bold new fall campaign, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,†and shares soared.
Snapshot of American Eagle
The , like many merchants, is wrestling with and higher costs from tariffs. American Eagle reported that total 5% for its February-April quarter compared to a year earlier.
Like many trendy clothing brands, American Eagle has to differentiate itself from other mid-priced chains with a famous face or by saying something edgy, according to Alan Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce.
Adamson said the Sweeney campaign shares a lineage with Calvin Klein jeans ads from 1980 that featured a 15-year-old Brooke Shields saying, "You want to know what comes in between me and my Calvins? Nothing." Some TV networks declined to air the spots because of its suggestive double entendre and Shields' age.
"It's the same playbook: a very hot model saying provocative things shot in an interesting way," Adamson said.
The drama series "Euphoria" (which is on your HBO Max subscription) may have been the project that helped Sydney Sweeney become a household name. But her filmography didn’t stop there and continues to grow. However, Sweeney admits that privacy was an important thing she lost as a result of fame, saying, “18-year-old me had no idea what she was getting into.†Sydney Sweeney becoming a working actress certainly wasn’t easy. When then-13-year-old Sweeney and her family moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams, it took Sweeney eight years to book gigs like "Sharp Objects" that headed her in the direction of fame. But like the working actress said, “success is the best revenge†for anyone who doesn’t believe in your dreams, and the "White Lotus" actress certainly proved that.
Billboards, Instagram and Snapchat
Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers told industry news website Retail Brew last week that "Sydney is the biggest get in the history of American Eagle," and the company would promote the partnership in a way that matched.
The campaign features videos of Sweeney wearing slouchy jeans in various settings. She will appear on 3-D billboards in Times Square and elsewhere, speaking to users on Snapchat and Instagram, and in an AI-enabled try-on feature.
American Eagle also plans to launch a limited edition Sydney jean to raise awareness of domestic violence, with sales proceeds going to a nonprofit crisis counseling service.
In a news release, the company noted "Sweeney's girl next door charm and main character energy — paired with her ability to not take herself too seriously — is the hallmark of this bold, playful campaign."
Jeans, genes and their many meanings
In one video, Sweeney walks toward an American Eagle billboard of her and the tagline "Sydney Sweeney has great genes." She crosses out "genes" and replaces it with "jeans."
What critics found the most troubling was a teaser video in which Sweeney says, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue."
The video appeared on American Eagle's Facebook page and other social media channels but is not part of the campaign.
While remarking that someone has good genes is sometimes used as a compliment, the phrase has sinister connotations. Eugenics gained popularity in , and Nazi Germany embraced it to carry out Adolf Hitler's plan for an Aryan master race.
Civil rights activists noted signs of eugenics regaining a foothold through the far right's promotion of the a racist ideology that alleges a conspiracy to diminish the influence of white people.
Shalini Shankar, a cultural and linguistic anthropologist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, said she had problems with American Eagle's "genes" versus "jeans" because it exacerbates a limited concept of beauty.
"American Eagle, I guess, wants to rebrand itself for a particular kind of white privileged American," Shankar said. "And that is the kind of aspirational image they want to circulate for people who want to wear their denim."
Cultural shift in advertising
Many critics compared the American Eagle ad to a Pepsiآ misstep in 2017, when the beverage company released a TV ad that showed model Kendall Jenner offer a can of soda to a police officer while ostensibly stepping away from a photo shoot to join a crowd of protesters.
Viewers mocked the spot for appearing to trivialize protests of police killings of Black people. Pepsi .
The demonstrations that followed the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis pushed many U.S. companies to make their advertising better reflect consumers of all races.
Some marketers say they've observed another shift since President Donald Trump returned to office and moved to .
Jazmin Burrell, founder of brand consulting agency Lizzie Della Creative Strategies, said she's noticed while shopping with her cousin more ads and signs that prominently feature white models.
"I can see us going back to a world where diversity is not really the standard expectation in advertising," Burrell said.
American Eagle's past and future
American Eagle was praised for diverse marketing in the past, including creating a denim hijab in 2017 and offering its Aerie lingerie brand in a wide range of sizes. A year ago, the company released a limited edition denim collection with tennis star Coco Gauff.
The retailer has a DEI program that is primarily geared toward employees. Two days before announcing the Sweeney campaign, American Eagle named the latest recipients of its scholarship award for employees who are driving anti-racism, equality and social justice initiatives.
Marketing experts offer mixed opinions on whether the attention surrounding "good jeans" will be .
"They were probably thinking that this is going to be their moment," Myles Worthington, the founder and CEO of marketing and creative agency WORTHI. "But this is doing the opposite and deeply distorting their brand."
Melissa Murphy, a marketing professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, said she liked certain parts of the campaign but hoped it would be expanded to showcase people besides Sweeney for the "sake of the brand."
Other experts say the buzz is good even if it's not uniformly positive.
"If you try to follow all the rules, you'll make lots of people happy, but you'll fail," Adamson said. "The rocket won't take off. "
13 famous marketing campaigns from the last 100 years
13 famous marketing campaigns from the last 100 years
The first television commercial to air in the world was in 1941 for the Bulova Watch Company, which cost between $4 and $9 to make (less than 4200 in today's dollars). The costs of advertising are drastically different today: Chanel spent in 2004.
compiled this list of some of the most iconic marketing campaigns of the last 100 years, covering a range of successful ads—from Coca-Cola’s enduring Christmas images to a viral body wash campaign.
Many of us can recall a time when an advertisement convinced us to buy a product or give something new a try. And who hasn’t mouthed along to the words of that familiar jingle you can’t seem to get out of your head? Millions of people tune in each year to watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials alone. Meanwhile, some of the brands and influencers active on social media employ the help of web browsing history and algorithms to curate which ads appear in an individual’s feed. New strategies come and go, but creative marketing campaigns as a whole are most certainly here to stay.
Whether it’s Absolut Vodka proving its brand could stand the test of time, or Spotify’s approach to working with its users to share music data, keep reading to find out who had some of the most popular marketing campaigns to date.
Santa Claus’ signature look
- Company: Coca-Cola
- Year premiered: 1931
The jovial, grinning image of Santa Claus has become part of our cultural fabric. But he wasn't always portrayed that way.
In 1931, Coca-Cola tapped reputable illustrator Haddon Sundblom to create advertising images of Santa Claus as a plump, jolly gentleman wearing Coca-Cola’s signature color red. The soft drink wanted to be affiliated with the holidays, and Santa seemed like a viable choice. As the campaign evolved over the years, images of a cheerful Santa were woven into Coca-Cola’s advertisements—and became the dominant likeness for the iconic character.
â€کDoes She... or Doesn't She?’
- Company: Clairol
- Year premiered: 1956
Who knew a simple question would give rise to a hair coloring revolution?
Shirley Polykoff was the advertising executive behind the catchy slogan, “Does she… or doesn’t she? … Only her hairdresser knows for sure.†The New York Times reported that, shortly after the success of the advertising campaign for Clairol,
Clairol took the unique—and potentially risky—approach of not asking for women to claim the use of the company’s product. Instead, Clairol wanted to that their product was so good that no one would be able to tell if it was Clairol or not.
â€کPlease don’t squeeze the Charmin’
- Company: Charmin
- Year premiered: 1969
“Please don’t squeeze the Charmin†is the memorable line created by John Chervokas, who worked as a copywriter for ad agency Benton & Bowles in 1964. The words spoken by the iconic character Mr. George Whipple (portrayed by Dick Wilson) catapulted the Procter & Gamble toilet paper brand to the top.
Mr. Whipple was a fictional supermarket manager who scolded his customers for squeezing the Charmin—only to sneakily squeeze the irresistibly soft tissue paper himself. Mr. Whipple went on to become a recognizable spokesperson for the long-running commercials, which were recognized by .
Absolut genius
- Company: Absolut Vodka
- Year premiered: 1980
Premium Swedish vodka brand Absolut Vodka launched a marketing initiative in 1980 that turned into the in advertising history. At the time, Absolut wasn’t able to keep up with other brands that had larger distribution, so Absolut came up with the idea of developing 1,500 print ads showcasing the uniqueness of its bottles. The brand happened to be a trendy liquor of choice in New York City’s popular nightclub Studio 54, where the bottle caught the eye of Andy Warhol, who frequented the venue.
and was later commissioned to create designs for the brand’s print ads.
â€کGot Milk?’
- Company: California Milk Processor Board
- Year premiered: 1993
In 1993, San Francisco-based advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners created the for the California Milk Processor Board. The ads featured people in various scenarios—whether it was someone preparing cereal, only to realize they didn’t have milk in the fridge, or someone about to have a chocolate chip cookie, realizing there was no milk to wash it down with.
The “Got Milk?†slogan was licensed in 1995 to national dairy boards for them to use in celebrity print ads. Several celebrities have since participated in the campaign over the years, proudly flaunting their milk mustaches. The national campaign was managed by the Milk Processor Education Program and, in 2014, the catchphrase, adopting “Milk Life†as the new tagline instead.
The California Milk Processor Board who created and owns the trademark, however, still uses the slogan. , including Northwestern University’s Out of the Box Award.
The â€کWhassup’ campaign
- Company: Budweiser
- Year premiered: 1999
Budweiser’s “Whassup†ad first debuted in December 1999 during “Monday Night Football.â€
The beer commercials were derived from a short film written and directed by Charles Stone III titled “True,†which is about how he and his friends greeted each other in their own unique way. The short film caught the attention of an executive at Doyle Dane Bernbach, a Chicago-based advertising agency.
The “Whassup†ads aired from 1999 through 2002 and in 2000 alone, Anheuser-Busch . The commercials received a slew of accolades, including the .
â€کGet a Mac’
- Company: Apple
- Year premiered: 2006
In 2005, Apple saw a decrease in its Mac laptop sales and sought out a way to boost business growth. Co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs wanted an advertising campaign that would highlight the difference between Macs and PCs without coming across as a super aggressor to other brands while simultaneously having Apple’s Macs stand out. He also didn’t want the ads to be very comical.
The “Get a Mac†ads debuted in May 2006, starring actor Justin Long as a younger version of Steve Jobs, or the “cool Mac guy,†and John Hodgman as the “PC guy,†or rather, Bill Gates. The “Get a Mac†commercials aired until October 2009; that year, Adweek named the series of ads one of the .
The most interesting man in the world
- Company: Dos Equis
- Year premiered: 2006
We all know the line: “I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.†The Dos Equis commercials starring the ever so dapper Jonathan Goldsmith began appearing in the U.S. in 2006. A plethora of memes quickly followed—and remain widely used today. Dos Equis’ ad campaign led the beer company’s sales to in 2009, even as other beer imports lagged with the meteoric rise of craft beers. Despite being widely popular, however, the commercials ended in 2018.
â€کThe man your man could smell like’
- Company: Old Spice
- Year premiered: 2010
After catering to a more mature audience for years, Procter & Gamble's Old Spice brand sought to appeal to a younger demographic.
A 2010 advertising campaign spearheaded by would help to reinvent the company's image. The launched online during Super Bowl weekend and was televised shortly afterward. Following market research and learning that more women purchased body wash than men, Wieden+Kennedy’s vision was to start a discussion between couples about body wash and in a comical way to convince women to stop purchasing “girly scented†products for men. The campaign was a mega-success as it aired during a targeted time for a major event where couples would be watching together.
â€کThe Force’ transforms the Super Bowl
- Company: Volkswagen
- Year premiered: 2011
Volkswagen's “The Force†has remained one of the most-watched Super Bowl ads of all time and is considered by many a during the major event.
The commercial for the Volkswagen Passat, created by advertising executives at Deutsch LA, features a young boy in full Darth Vader garb attempting to do various things such as wake up a dog, start a washing machine, and wake up a baby doll using the Force. After his unsuccessful attempts, the boy discovers he can get the car to start, but it’s actually his dad who does it via remote control.
Volkswagen worked with Deutsch LA and MediaCom and they decided to prerelease the 60-second commercial four days before the Super Bowl, a move that wasn’t usually done in the advertising space. Viewership of the 60-second advert went into the millions shortly after the commercial made it to YouTube. On the actual day of the Super Bowl, 30 seconds of the ad were aired.
The ice bucket challenge
Company: N/A
Year premiered: 2014
The wildly successful ice bucket challenge was reportedly started by , who at the time had been battling , also known as motor neuron disease.
The social media challenge involved a person pouring a bucket of ice over their head for the purpose of creating awareness of ALS and garnering donations for research, and then tagging others online to do the same. Quinn died in 2020, but his visionary .
â€کWrapped’ is a social media hit
- Company: Spotify
- Year premiered: 2015
Spotify first launched its annual music campaign in 2015 with the title “Your Year in Music.†In 2017, the campaign was renamed “Wrapped.†Each December, Spotify sends its users the top artists they listened to throughout the year as customized data cards in a shareable format. This allows users to share their data cards on their social media channels. In December 2021, the hashtag #SpotifyWrapped spent a few days trending on Twitter, with Spotify benefiting from the additional marketing done by its users as well as the data the company was able to collect.
#ShowUs redefines beauty standards
- Company: Dove
- Year premiered: 2019
Dove sought to redefine how women are represented with the Project #ShowUs. In partnership with Getty Images, the largest international stock photo distributor, and Girlgaze, a digital photography network, Dove created a massive photo library demonstrating more inclusive images of beauty.
Dove formed a first-of-its-kind partnership with Hearst, focusing on publications geared toward women. The publications were given access to the images with a challenge to integrate them into relatable, engaging content. has more than 11,000 images created by women, women-identifying, and nonbinary individuals.
This story originally appeared on and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
