American Eagle Rides Viral “Great Jeans” Buzz Into Flat Sales
American EagleAEO declared, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” but the receipts aren’t adding up. The viral campaign ignited a culture war, and Trump’s praise helped send shares up ~15% since launch. Yet, that attention hasn’t translated into demand, with early reads showing that sales have remained flat.
- At best, Consumer Edge noted a 60% spike inAEO’s July 28 website traffic from last year — but card transaction data didn’t reveal a corresponding jump in purchases.
- At worst, in-store foot traffic fell 8.96% from last year for the week beginning Aug. 3 — while the retailer’s denim market share stayed between 17.5% and 19%.
What the polls show: A campus survey of 1.3K undergraduate students shed light on why the buzz hasn’t become buys. Sydney Sweeney has fractured the US, as 64% of Democrats felt the ad was out of touch, versus 39% of Republicans. Notably, 39% of young women (the target buyer) said they’re less likely to buy American Eagle jeans compared to 21% of men. Only 10% of respondents advocated the harshest “eugenics” reading, but we’re looking to see ifAEO can justify its newfound stock price.