Overview

• Jay Schottenstein told the Wall Street Journal, “You can’t run from fear,” and said the company stands by the July campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney.
• He instructed executives to stay quiet publicly, assigned a small team to monitor social media, and hired a firm to poll customers about the ads.
• American Eagle reports the campaign brought in nearly one million new customers between July and September, with a Sweeney denim jacket selling out in a day and a jean style in a week.
• Critics linked the wordplay and visuals to eugenics and oversexualization, which Schottenstein, an Orthodox Jew, rejected, saying the brand would not have run anything it believed was offensive.
• The ads drew political attention as President Trump praised them, the retailer’s stock jumped after earnings highlighting the campaign’s impact, and Sweeney remains an ambassador through year-end.