After I first noticed American Eagle’s marketing campaign with Sydney Sweeney, I couldn’t assist however pause—not as a result of the wordplay missed the mark, however as a result of the context did.
Tongue-in-cheek is a method of humor rooted in sarcasm and irony. It’s playful by design. Nevertheless it works greatest when the tone, the model, and the expertise delivering it are all aligned. With out that alignment, intelligent shortly turns into cringe.
Had this marketing campaign featured somebody recognized for comedy, it might need landed higher—not completely, however maybe with extra grace. Comedians include context: Audiences anticipate irreverence; they perceive the wink. However Sweeney isn’t a comic book. And American Eagle isn’t a model recognized for subversive humor. So the joke doesn’t land with fun. It lands with confusion.
This isn’t about perfection, it’s about notion. And it isn’t nearly American Eagle, both.
Take Dunkin’s current marketing campaign that includes Gavin Casalegno from The Summer time I Turned Fairly. Within the spot, he calls himself “The King of Summer time” and says his tan is “genetic,” including that “the solar simply finds me” each time he drinks a Golden Hour Refresher. The road was doubtless meant as a tie-in to his present, however with out the reference level, and in a cultural local weather that’s hyperaware of coded language, it raises considerations. When individuals are combating for belonging in each house from the boardroom to the border, messages that trace at superiority (even jokingly) can set off deeper questions: Who will get to be seen? Who’s thought-about lovely? Who’s the default?
In a time when humor can both humanize a model or tank its popularity, entrepreneurs are caught within the pressure between wit and danger. And that strain is actual. Wendy’s has mastered that stability with its Twitter presence, a lesson in sustained sarcasm: The model roasts opponents, replies with memes, and engages in fast-food flame wars, and it really works not simply because it’s humorous, however as a result of the model has dedicated to that voice long run.
Right now’s viewers is paying consideration not simply to what’s mentioned, however who’s saying it, the way it’s mentioned, and whether or not they’re in on the joke. Shifting attitudes round magnificence, race, and illustration have made it clear: Folks need to really feel seen, valued, and revered. And types that miss that memo can shortly discover themselves on the incorrect facet of the scroll.
This isn’t about cancel tradition, it’s about consequence tradition. Missteps don’t all the time come from malice, however they typically come from a scarcity of perspective. And when a model finds itself on the middle of controversy, it sometimes faces a number of choices: concern an apology or acknowledgment, pull the marketing campaign, keep silent, or double down.
So why did American Eagle keep the course?
Why manufacturers double down
Whereas the backlash and on-line discourse continued—possibly greater than some anticipated or would have favored—American Eagle made its alternative and doubled down. I consider they did so as a result of the perceived reward of buzz, visibility, and elevate in inventory outweighed the short-term backlash. Every week or two of controversy can really feel like a worthwhile trade-off if it retains individuals speaking.
However greater than that, I believe American Eagle simply doesn’t care about appeasing everybody. And that’s a shift price being attentive to.
For years, manufacturers have felt strain to concern fastidiously worded statements, launch DEI initiatives, or rework campaigns to point out cultural consciousness. However now, we’re coming into a brand new section, one the place wokeness is being overtly politicized, weaponized, and spun into backlash advertising. The previous mannequin of “saying the best factor to maintain everybody glad” not applies. Actually, making an attempt to be every little thing to everyone seems to be beginning to really feel off-brand.
We could also be witnessing the rise of a brand new model posture: Let individuals criticize. Let individuals be mad. Let individuals store anyway.
It’s the advertising software of Mel Robbins’ Let Them concept. Allow them to misunderstand, allow them to speak—if the denims match, put on them. In the event that they don’t, there are different manufacturers.
That’s to not say AE is taking an ethical stance right here, however they’re making a strategic one. One which feels anchored much less in apology and extra in id. Consider it like Chick-fil-A selecting to shut on Sundays: The choice comes with penalties. Some individuals protest. Others respect the consistency. However both method, the model stands agency. That posture, whether or not religious, political, or simply deeply on-brand, is turning into extra widespread.
Which raises a good greater query: Is that this a model misstep, or is it the start of a brand new tone? What if American Eagle isn’t reacting impulsively however repositioning deliberately? What if this isn’t only a cheeky marketing campaign however a sign of a brand new artistic path?
Manufacturers evolve. And each evolution has a launch second. Possibly this one simply occurred to start out with a pun.
Any change is uncomfortable at first. Three months from now, we would look again and say AE was forward of the curve—testing a sharper voice, a unique tone, a brand new form of cultural calculus. That’s why it’s important, particularly now, for entrepreneurs to take steps earlier than launching any culturally resonant marketing campaign.
Construct a cultural council
Create a collective of individuals—those that mirror your audience and people who don’t—to supply perception all through the method. Internally, that is likely to be a consultant from an ERG or somebody from an adjoining division indirectly tied to the marketing campaign. The important thing isn’t simply to ask what individuals like, however to ask how individuals really feel.
Most significantly, there should be house for open, unfiltered suggestions. You want individuals within the room who can elevate a hand and say, “This is likely to be an issue,” earlier than it turns into one.
Take a look at early, internally and externally
Don’t wait to check your work till after the ultimate lower. Put your artistic in entrance of people that don’t look, stay, or assume like your group, and do it early within the course of. If it doesn’t land there, it gained’t land wherever. If one thing feels off or wants adjustment, you continue to have the time and the finances to pivot with intention relatively than scramble underneath strain.
Don’t simply ask “Is that this witty?” Ask, “Is that this clear? Is that this secure? May this offend?” In case you’re unsure, ask H&M how its “Coolest Monkey within the Jungle” sweatshirt turned out. It wasn’t intentional, nevertheless it was avoidable.
Good advertising isn’t nearly being intelligent. It’s about being conscious. In a tradition the place each marketing campaign is a dialog, your model’s tone isn’t simply what you say—it’s the way you’re heard. So, in case you’re planning to play it cheeky, ensure your viewers is in on the joke. In any case, possibly American Eagle actually does simply have good genes … I imply denims.
