After its denim ad campaign featuring 27-year-old actor Sydney Sweeney provoked a discussion about race and Western beauty standards, teen retailer American Eagle Outfitters has a message for its detractors. The retailer said that the jeans were always the focus of the marketing.
According to a statement that was shared on American Eagle’s Instagram account on Friday, the jeans have always been the focus of the advertising campaign. Her pants. Her tale. We’ll keep celebrating how each person confidently dons their AE jeans in their own unique style. Everyone looks good in great jeans.
This was the first time the teen shop had addressed days of criticism following the release of the Sydney Sweeney has terrific pants commercial last week.
The company’s chief marketing officer warned trade media outlets in the lead-up to the ad campaign that it was sure to cause a stir and used creative, even provocative, language.
It’s unclear if the business anticipated the level of criticism the advertisement would cause.
The majority of the critical feedback was directed at videos that discussed the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actor from the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus using the word genes rather than jeans.
The preview film, in which Sweeney states that genes are passed down from parents to offspring, frequently defining features like hair color, personality, and even eye color, was the most unsettling to critics. I have blue jeans.
Although it wasn’t a part of the advertising campaign, the video was posted on American Eagle’s Facebook site and other social media platforms.
The wordplay was interpreted by some critics as an inadvertent or purposeful reference to eugenics, a debunked philosophy that maintained selective breeding for particular qualities could enhance humanity.
Critics were criticized by other commenters of overinterpreting the campaign’s message.
According to some marketing professionals, even when the buzz isn’t always pleasant, it’s always positive.
Allen Adamson, a co-founder of the marketing consultancy Metaforce, stated that while trying to adhere to every guideline can make many people happy, you will ultimately fail. The rocket refuses to lift off.
