American Eagle is riding high after a stellar second-quarter performance in 2025, and it’s largely thanks to two megastars: Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce. The clothing brand’s savvy celebrity-led marketing campaigns, featuring the “Euphoria” actress and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, have not only crushed Wall Street expectations but also sparked a cultural phenomenon, proving that star power still moves the needle in retail.
With a stock surge of 25% after hours following the August 2025 earnings report, American Eagle’s CEO Jay Schottenstein credited “the success of recent marketing campaigns with Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce” for generating 40 billion impressions and a “meaningful improvement in the business,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Sweeney campaign, launched in late July with the cheeky tagline “Sydney has great jeans,” was a masterstroke.
Featuring the 27-year-old actress in a series of vibrant ads showcasing American Eagle’s denim line, it sold out all Sweeney-branded jeans within a week-some in just a day. Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers told Wall Street analysts, “Sydney Sweeney sells great jeans,” emphasizing the campaign’s role as a “brand and business reset.” The ads dominated TikTok, late-night TV, and even caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who called them “fantastic” last month. The buzz wasn’t without controversy, sparking culture war debates online, but it undeniably put American Eagle back in the spotlight.
Posts on X echoed the frenzy, with some users praising, “Sydney’s AE campaign is everywhere-genius move for denim season.” Hot on its heels came the Travis Kelce campaign, unveiled in August just days after his engagement to Taylor Swift made global headlines. The 35-year-old NFL star, fresh off a romantic Instagram post captioned “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” brought his charm to American Eagle’s menswear line, particularly their casual tees and jeans. The timing couldn’t have been better, leveraging Kelce’s newfound spotlight as Swift’s fiancé.
Sweeney’s “Great Jeans” campaign ignites American Eagle’s turnaround
On X, Kelce himself teased the campaign, posting, “Rockin’ AE’s new fits-comfort meets style, let’s go!” The Swiftie fanbase amplified the buzz, driving millions of views and helping the campaign rack up those 40 billion impressions alongside Sweeney’s.Despite a rocky year-American Eagle pulled its guidance in May due to a tough retail environment-these campaigns have been a lifeline.
Brommers noted, “A brand campaign is not to be judged in just one day, one week, or even one month, our brand campaign endures.” The goal now? Turn this buzz into repeat customers. Sweeney’s and Kelce’s star power has given American Eagle a cultural edge, proving that in today’s attention economy, a well-timed celebrity partnership can turn a struggling brand into a retail juggernaut. With plans to sustain the momentum, American Eagle is banking on these A-listers to keep the cash registers ringing.
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