Overview

• Jay Schottenstein told The Wall Street Journal the company would not pull the July campaign and instructed executives and employees not to comment, saying, “You can’t run from fear.”
• The company assigned a small team to monitor social media and hired a firm to poll consumers, keeping the ads in market as debate over the “genes/jeans” wordplay continued.
• American Eagle reports the campaign brought in nearly one million new customers between July and September, with sales growth turning positive in August and the stock rallying after its earnings update.
• Items tied to the campaign sold out quickly, including the Sweeney Cinched Waist denim jacket in a day and the Sydney Jean in a week, with a restock of the jeans slated for November.
• The ads drew criticism over eugenics-era connotations and oversexualization, while President Donald Trump publicly praised the campaign and the company reiterated the message was about the jeans.