American Eagle just proved sex sells — even when it stirs up drama.
The company announced Wednesday its campaign with “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeneyhas been its best advertising effort to date, helping the brand smash Wall Street expectations for the second quarter.
Earnings per share came in at 45 cents — more than double the 21 cents analysts predicted — while revenue hit $1.28 billion. Net income clocked in at $77.6 million, up from $77.3 million a year ago. Shares spiked more than 20% in after-hours trading on the news.
TMZ has learned foot traffic in the company’s stores has jumped 5% after Sydney’s campaign went live July 23 … with denim sellouts and her custom Sydney Jean vanishing in a day.
The ads, splashed with the cheeky slogan “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” triggered outrage from critics who blasted them as sexualized and even accused AE of dabbling in “eugenics” innuendo. The backlash was so loud it drew commentary from PresidentDonald Trump, who called it the “hottest” ad out there.
Despite the noise, American Eagle’s CEO praised the campaign for driving “stronger customer awareness, engagement and comparable sales.” AE says it’s already signed up 700,000 new customers and is projecting comps to climb again this quarter.
Sydney’s campaign may have been controversial, but it was pure gold for the bottom line.
