By Stephanie Nguyen
KATSEYE’s collaboration with GAP had taken over social media, going viral as many praised the ad for featuring racially diverse and LGBT+ kpop stars. In contrast, American Eagle’s advertisement with Sydney Sweeney, an actress who starred in Euphoria and White Lotus, faced lots of backlash.
Inclusivity, however, isn’t a shortcut to resonating with the current market. For example, Victoria Secret’s “comeback” in October last year had a few plus-size models walk their runway, yet their fans disliked it for its lack of resemblance to past shows. So what made this particular advertisement special?
A big part of it was the occasion it was released for. Although there are other reasons for its success, it wouldn’t have been the phenomenon it was without the impeccable timing.
In American Eagle’s fifteen-second video, Sweeney said that genes are passed down to offspring, influencing physical traits like eye color and personality, concluding with “My jeans are blue.” The advertisement itself ended with “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
However, some have interpreted the pun on “jeans” to be a reference to eugenics. Eugenics, a pseudoscience that gained notoriety for its application in Hitler’s Germany, was the belief that individuals can be “bred” to have desirable characteristics. In Hitler’s case, eugenics was the justification for erasing minorities. In addition, it had Sweeney zipping her pants up with her jacket unbuttoned and off-shoulder, drawing criticism that it was too sexual for an advertisement meant to promote a charitable product. The “Sydney Jeans,” the featured garment, has a butterfly on the back to raise awareness of domestic abuse, and all proceeds are sent to the crisis text line, offering 24/7 mental health support.
Knowing their biggest rival had slipped up, the opportunistic marketing team at GAP knew they could put their opponent in check with the right move. They made great use of a white background to make KATSEYE and their dancers pop, utilizing bright lighting and smooth transitions for a streamlined, professional look. They dressed the KATSEYE members in outfits shoppers could see themselves wearing. And in the biggest demonstration of their superior knowledge of Gen-Z, they crafted the perfect choreography for “Milkshake,” a catchy 2003 single by Kelis that brought a bold, high-spirited vibe that resonated with teenagers and young adults, topping it off with the words “Better in Denim.” Together, these components made the message clear: these jeans are not only comfortable, but fun to dance, walk, run and be yourself in.
In contrast, the American Eagle advertisement didn’t have a clear message on how they want consumers to feel about their product. It did tell them how they should feel about Sweeney, who arguably received more hate online than the retailer.
And in another video released a few days before its controversial sister, Sweeney, being confined to a small, dim-lit room with grayish-yellow lighting, tells viewers that she’s not trying to tell them to buy American Eagle jeans, but they’re very comfortable and make her butt look great, and if they want to buy jeans they could, just know she’s not telling them to buy the jeans. American Eagle then reaffirms her praise by saying she had great jeans, just like the later campaign. But that’s just confusing; it was a clear, horrible attempt at reverse psychology. Marketing should be straightforward; advertisements should be telling customers that their product IS desirable, not make them question if they should like it or not. At best, her words were forgettable.
To give credit to the Eyekons (KATSEYE fans), many of them were replicating the dance in the campaign when it first came out, resulting in hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos of users joining in. So people were constantly thinking about it, seeing it, hearing about it (“Milkshake” is becoming an earworm for many), and reading about it everywhere; all for the right reasons. It’s by far a success for GAP; they got four hundred million views across multiple social media platforms as of late August, increasing sales and making a huge mark on pop culture. Yet there’s a silver lining of hope for American Eagle.
Recently, the chain had reported increasing sales, noticing new customers who heard about the brand through its infamous advertisement and collaboration with an engaged Travis Kelce. The popularity also extended to the Sydney jean –perhaps due to its charitable intent– on the American Eagle website. At the time of writing, it had sold out. Nonetheless, the collaboration definitely hurt the brand’s reputation, even if the effects aren’t being felt yet. Although it’s too soon to tell how big of a mess it made, GAP has taught its rival to stay on the safe side in the future, especially in this political and social climate.
