By Ryan Joe

Copyright adweek

Denim is a tough fabric backing an even tougher business, and back-to-school season is, as American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers tells ADWEEK, “the Super Bowl of denim.” It’s the time of year when Levi’s, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and American Eagle have the biggest opportunity to grab share now and for generations to come.

So of course, American Eagle had a plan, and that plan had to involve actress Sydney Sweeney. We all know the fireworks that happened next.

In this episode of Adspeak, Brommers sits down with editor in chief Ryan Joe (Hey, that’s me!) to recap what happened during those tumultuous summer months, from the lead-up to the campaign, the soaring stock, the business results, and the fierce criticism over the sexualization of Sweeney and the (in)famous jeans-to-genes pun.

Brommers digs into what, if anything, he’d do differently, lessons learned over the past few weeks, and how American Eagle stacks up against competition like Gap and Abercrombie, both of which Brommers had worked at previously.

He also explains how he expects the Sweeney campaign, in conjunction with a splashy Travis Kelce collaboration, gives American Eagle “the permission to make big swings.”