Podcast Summary:

Uncensored CMO

Host: Jon Evans
Guest: Craig Brommers, CMO of American Eagle
Episode: American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney Campaign – What Really Happened
Date: October 22, 2025

Overview

This episode dives deep into the inside story of American Eagle’s high-profile campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. Jon Evans sits down with Craig Brommers, CMO of American Eagle, to uncover what unfolded during the campaign, especially around the controversy that erupted online. The conversation covers campaign goals, the social media backlash, business results, handling a PR "crisis", and lessons for marketers when cultural debates swirl around a bold brand activation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins & Ambitions of the Sydney Sweeney Campaign

• Objective: Craig explains the aim was to create the "it jeans campaign of 2025" with the "it girl" of the year, Sydney Sweeney.

  • Sweeney was chosen for her cross-generational appeal, authenticity, and relatability.

    “She is someone that dresses up ... But she also feels like the girl next door and very real.” (Craig, 02:16)

• Initial Response: Upon campaign announcement, the brand received major positive buzz.

  • The stock jumped 25% immediately after Sweeney’s involvement was announced.

    “The day of the announcement of the campaign, our stock went up 25% just on the announcement alone.” (Craig, 03:32)

  • The early days were overwhelmingly positive, with excitement from both the public and investors.

2. From Buzz to Backlash: The Controversy

• Sudden Shift: Within days, a minor online criticism snowballed into allegations of racism and eugenics due to wordplay involving "jeans/genes."

  • Jon: “The conversation switched into a wild territory of racism, eugenics ... What happens to cause a sudden sort of reaction in that way?” (04:25)
  • Craig: “I am still a little bit dumbfounded because I think the claims are absurd ... It was a curveball that we didn’t see coming.” (Craig, 04:52)

• Research & Testing: Both Jon and Craig emphasize that pre-campaign research and post-launch testing showed no indication the campaign would elicit such reactions.

  • “In the comments ... I didn’t get anything about racism or eugenics ... The worst I saw was Sydney looks a bit aloof.” (Jon, 06:08)

  • “That’s how most people took the campaign.” (Craig, 07:05)

3. Handling the "Crisis": Strategy, Mindset, and Leadership

• Dual Universes: Craig describes living in “alternate universes” – positive data and sales vs. negative social media noise.

  • “On one side we’re looking at very encouraging business performance ... In the other universe you’re hearing all the noise in social media.” (Craig, 08:29)

• Cautious Response: Rather than reacting impulsively, the leadership chose to pause, gather data, and respond only once.

  • “We actually just sat back for a second and gathered more data and understood what was going on ... before we made our first and only statement.” (Craig, 08:29)

  • Their statement reiterated the campaign’s original intent and support for Sweeney.

• Executive & Board Support: Having unambiguous support from the CEO and board was crucial.

  • “I had 1000% support from our CEO, 1000% support from our board. And so that gave me confidence as well.” (Craig, 08:29)

• Noise vs. Reality: Only one day of net-negative social sentiment was recorded.

  • “Any assertion that says this campaign was swamped by negative sentiments is patently untrue.” (Craig, 08:29)

4. Business Impact: Results and Outcomes

• Sales & New Customers: The campaign smashed expectations.

  • 1 million new customers in six weeks—“unheard of, unprecedented.” (Craig, 15:23)
  • Highest brand demand for American Eagle in 20 years.
  • Double-digit foot traffic increases and Sweeney-endorsed products selling out rapidly.

• Earned Media: The campaign was seen almost 45 billion times, wildly outpacing paid media reach.

  • “YouTube has told me that this campaign has been seen ... eight times more than Beyoncé and Levi’s.” (Craig, 17:09)

  • “This became a cultural phenomenon that everyone was talking about and everyone had an opinion about.” (Craig, 17:09)

• Sweeney’s Retail Power:

  • “Not only does Sydney Sweeney have great jeans, Sydney Sweeney can sell great jeans.” (Craig, 13:48)

5. Reflections, Lessons & Advice to Marketers

• Reframing Crises as Opportunities:

  • “We were not managing a crisis. We were actually optimizing an opportunity.” (Craig, 23:13)

  • Mindset shapes actions—lean into opportunities rather than retreating.

• Practical Leadership Lessons:

  • Ignore unhelpful social media noise; focus on real customer data.
  • Tight, empowered teams and full leadership alignment are invaluable.
  • Mutual commitment in talent partnerships is vital.

• Advice for Marketers:

  • Each case is unique—assess your own context and data.
  • Stay focused on original campaign objectives and be prepared to adapt.
  • Courage is essential.

    • “I think that this experience reignited my passion to be courageous ... we need to take a little bit more risks out there and ... drive culture.” (Craig, 33:39)

6. Culture, Category, and The Role of the CMO

• Programming Retail Like Entertainment:

  • “You are programming a retail brand as an entertainment brand these days.” (Craig, 29:52)

  • Collaborations with celebrities like Sweeney and Travis Kelce inject urgency and excitement.

• Jeans as Brand Superpower:

  • “Jeans, jeans, and jeans – that’s our superpower. When jeans are working, this company is working.” (Craig, 31:56)

• The Evolving CMO Role:

  • Curiosity, humility, and courage are the new essentials.

    • “It is actually not all about you and you don’t have all the answers ... being courageous ... is important.” (Craig, 33:39)

• Impactful Work vs. Playing It Safe:

  • Playing it safe is more expensive and less effective.

    • “We worked out ... for the dull campaigns, they would have to have spent £10 million more ... to match an interesting campaign.” (Jon, 37:49)

7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Twitter is not real life. I mean, it’s X now ... distinguish between what blows up on social media ... versus actually what do our consumers think and feel.” (Jon, 11:20)
• “That was not the mindset – that [we were] managing a crisis. That was optimizing an opportunity.” (Craig, 40:59)
• “Don’t listen to the crisis experts, like, go with your gut and be informed with data. Make sure you’re doing it through your brand values.” (Craig, 25:13)
• On creative courage:
  • “Not taking a risk is the biggest risk you can take.” (Jon, 37:49)
• “I actually turned it off because I needed to actually isolate noise from fact.” (Craig, 13:48)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Campaign Conception & Casting: 02:16 – 03:22
• Announcement & Initial Reception: 03:22 – 04:25
• Controversy Emerges: 04:25 – 07:05
• Managing the Backlash: 08:29 – 13:48
• Business Results & Customer Response: 15:10 – 17:09
• Earned Media & Cultural Impact: 17:09 – 18:12
• Comparing Crisis Management Approaches: 20:56 – 25:13
• Lessons & Reframing Mindset: 23:13 – 41:55
• Product Strategy & Celebrity Collaborations: 29:41 – 33:29
• CMO Success Factors: 33:39 – 36:22
• The Cost of Playing It Safe: 37:49 – 38:16
• Final Takeaways & Reflections: 40:47 – 41:55

Final Takeaway

• The Power of Mindset:
  The ultimate lesson from American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign is the importance of mindset: seeing turbulence not as a crisis, but as an opportunity to define culture, stick to your data, and stand your ground.

  • “When you have a certain mindset, you’re going to react a certain way ... That was not the mindset – that we were managing a crisis. That was optimizing an opportunity.” (Craig, 40:59)

This episode offers a masterclass in modern brand stewardship, creative courage, and the unfiltered reality of navigating PR storms in the social era. American Eagle’s example underscores the strategic value of conviction, calm, and customer connection for marketing leaders everywhere.