An ad by Sweeney sparked controversy by linking genetic traits with a jeans line, leading to mixed reactions online. Some praised the ad as anti-woke, while others criticized its implications related to eugenics and its departure from American Eagle's inclusive marketing commitments. After President Trump's endorsement, the ad became politicized, receiving substantial media coverage. Despite the campaign's virality, American Eagle faced significant backlash, with brand sentiment plummeting. The company responded, emphasizing the ad's focus on jeans and individual stories, despite not apologizing for the controversy.
"Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color," Sweeney says in the ad. "My jeans are blue."
In response to the backlash, American Eagle said on Instagram the ad campaign "is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story."
American Eagle's mention volume jumped 18x following the campaign launch, according to Signal AI data, but sentiment toward the brand plummeted from +50 to -31.
The campaign first went viral on social media, it also garnered coverage in roughly 3,000 news articles, generating more than 50 million readers.
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