[Column] Michelle Waweru: American Eagle wins jean ad war over Levi’s, but at what cost?

American Eagle’s latest advert, starring American actress and film producer Sydney Sweeney has caused a buzz in the marketing world after the ad with the tagline ‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ sparked controversy and virality alike.

The tagline has been read by fans and critics as a double entendre, which carries significant cultural-political undertones that hold a bitter white supremacist and racist tinge. However, a common saying that goes around is that all publicity is good publicity.

The big question is, how does this apply to American Eagle?

The New York Times reported that American Eagle’s stock surged by over 23 percent, after the controversial ad, affirming this famous belief. This was after popular conservatives, including current American president Donald Trump, stod behind the ad, praising it as a ‘fantastic ad.’

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring,” and “My jeans are blue,” are some of the more controversial quotes from the advert, as they carry nuances that are interpreted as subtle, hidden messages.

This Sydney Sweeney- American Eagle saga almost overshadowed another big jeans campaign by Levi’s jeans starring American popstar, Beyoncé.

Beyoncé was also advertising all blue American-made jeans, targeting the same consumer market, only her campaign was not riddled with as much controversy and therefore might have flown under the radar. The latest video ad by Levi’s was the final installment in its year-long REIIMAGINE campaign, which brought together memorable elements from the last three campaigns all rolled in one film with Beyonce’s smooth vocals crooning a catchy song in the background.

However, in comparison, the Levi ad did not cause as much of a stir as the American Eagle one. In terms of vanity metrics and online buzz, American Eagle may have won the jean ad war.

But at what cost?

Today’s consumer is a very sensitive and intuitive one. In the aftermath of the American Eagle ad controversy, everyone could agree on one thing. The advert contained hidden messages and nuances that could not be ignored.

In the current global political climate, the divide between conservatism and liberalism is slowly forming into a major rift. This fact was very easily pointed out by the advert and its aftermath. It was a risky move, and whilst it worked in the moment, garnering support even from the president, there is no telling how it might age.

After the initial Levi’s ad that started the REIIMAGINE campaign back in April 2024, Levi’s stocks reportedly shot up by 20 percent, a number that is still significantly lower the American Eagle’s numbers. However, one fact stands out: the 20 percent surge happened in a very low-risk environment.

There is no predicting how the social-political climate will evolve with time, but if there is one thing that consumers are teaching brands in recent times, it is that they will flock towards brands that agree with their values and principles.

For example, in America, a brand like Absolut Vodka is beloved by the LGBTQ+ community since it has shown complete support towards the community since the early 1980s. This type of brand loyalty comes from the values and the message that the brand stands for, overshadowing the product’s overall appeal.

Therefore, following this well-worn path, consumers tie brands to their values, which in turn influences how they interact with said brands.

Even riskier, I suppose, are political values which arguably are held more tightly and closely than social justice values, as in the case of LGBTQ+ rights vis-à-vis Absolut Vodka. A perfect case study for this is Tesla. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, clearly and loudly picked political sides during and after the 2024 American polls, a move that backfired on his company as Tesla stock prices dropped and Tesla lost a lot of consumers who did not agree with his political stance. In fact, Tesla's woes continued to deepen after Elon Musk announced plans to launch his new political party, which led to the company's share price dropping by 7 percent.

I say that American Eagle made too risky a move, and it might backfire on them over time, despite winning the current jean war against Levi’s. The advert, despite its initial success, might not have been the best marketing strategy by the fashion giant yet. Me thinks politics is not the best basket to place all your eggs in.

Michelle Waweru is a Junior Journalist at Africa Business Communities

www.levi.com

www.ae.com

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