Sydney Sweeney just sent American Eagle stock soaring
Sydney Sweeney is the star of a new ad campaign for the clothing retailer, lighting a fire under its struggling stock
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Sydney Sweeney is the star of American Eagle’s latest ad campaign and she’s sent the retailer into a meme-stock frenzy.
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In a simple, 30-second video that debuted Wednesday, she’s seen sitting in a chair wearing a Canadian tuxedo (head-to-toe denim) staring down the camera with her signature, sultry smize. “I’m not here to tell you to buy American Eagle jeans,” she says. “And I definitely won’t tell you that they’re the most comfortable jeans I’ve ever worn.”
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She gets up as the camera pans to her derrière, “Or that they make your butt look amazing. Why would I do that?”
Sweeney continues to tell her audience that she’s not selling them jeans, despite her favorable opinion. The video ends with a voice over and text on screen that says, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” The same tagline punctuates shorter posts on American Eagle’s social media and 3D billboards.
That evening, American Eagle’s stock soared 17% in after-hours trading, bumping the retailer’s market value by more than $4 million. The stock reached $12 at Thursday’s opening bell, compared to $10.61 at Wednesday’s opening.
Canadian real-estate startup founder Daniel Foch posted the stock’s market summary on X. One user commented, “About to become the new meme/retail stock.”
American Eagle is the latest company to get a boost from a wave of meme stock investors. The retailer’s stock was down 35% this year and reported a first-quarter loss in May, Market Watch reported. Even with the sudden lift, American Eagle stock remained down more than 30% year to date, as of 10:45 a.m. ET Thursday.
As part of the campaign, American Eagle is launching “The Sydney Jean,” which features a butterfly motif on the back pocket to represent domestic violence awareness. One hundred percent of the purchase price of the jeans will be donated to the Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit offering free, confidential mental health support.
“There is something so effortless about American Eagle – it’s the perfect balance of being put-together but still feeling like yourself,” Sweeney said in a press release. “It’s rare to find a brand that grows with you, the way American Eagle has for generations. They have literally been there with me through every version of myself.”
The campaign will also include a Snapchat lens in which Sweeney speaks directly with users and AI-enabled try-on technology.