This past summer, American Eagle made headlines around the world with its “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” ad spot. Whether you liked it or not, the campaign sparked discussion and, according to American Eagle, sales, which is after all the ultimate goal. Longtime advertising executive Ellis Verdi said he’s “net positive” on the campaign.
“First of all, it’s very hard to stand out in a crowded environment, so they get points for that — they definitely stood out,” Verdi shares on this week’s episode of the Retail Remix podcast. “They also did associate the individual, the personality, with the product that they’re selling; [the choice of celebrity] wasn’t totally random. And it was selling product — it was talking about and showing their product.
“By the way, showing product, talking about a product — but not using price — and getting a lot of people’s attention, in and of itself is a challenge. It’s just not an easy thing to do, and they did it,” Verdi added. “I have never done a piece of advertising that was strong or good that didn’t get some kind of reaction. In fact, I was a little unhappy if I didn’t get one. When you do something pretty good, you should expect it because [it means] there’s a certain amount of truth in what you’re doing.”
Verdi, the Founder and President of agency DeVito/Verdi, is no stranger to controversy. He launched his agency with the now infamous “straightjacket” ad for off-price retailer Daffy’s that was so controversial it sparked protests, and has since gone on to do work for Macy’s, Kohl’s, Men’s Wearhouse, Meijer and many others.
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His bottom line is that controversy isn’t bad if it comes from a place of honesty, and he thinks retail advertising has gone too far recently into down-funnel price-focused plays. Tune in to this week’s episode to hear:
- What’s changed over the last 40 years (and what hasn’t) about connecting with consumers;
- Why conceptual advertising still matters in today’s performance-driven landscape;
- How controversy can serve a campaign — but only when it’s rooted in truth; and
- The importance of balancing top-of-funnel branding with down-funnel ROI.
Listen to the full episode here or anywhere you get your podcasts, and head over to the episode page to see some of Ellis’ favorite ads that he discusses in the episode, including a hilarious campaign for Meijer private label spinach and a Macy’s spot for its private label fashion brand I.N.C featuring the one-and-only Heidi Klum before she was a star.
