Overview

• Schottenstein publicly said, “You can’t run from fear,” adding that the retailer stands behind the July campaign.
• The CEO reported almost a million new customers from July through September and noted rapid sellouts of Sweeney-branded items.
• American Eagle left the ads in place and plans to keep Sweeney as a brand ambassador through the end of the year.
• Criticism tied the wordplay on genes and jeans to eugenics, which Schottenstein rejected while stressing his awareness of the term’s history.
• The company formed a small team to track social-media reactions, hired a firm to poll customers, and later rolled out a separate Travis Kelce push.