American Eagle Broadens Reach with Martha Stewart

American Eagle has announced a strategic partnership with celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart for the latest chapter of its "Give Great Jeans" holiday campaign. This collaboration marks a significant effort by the retailer to expand its reach beyond its primary Gen Z demographic, positioning denim as a universal gift for a multigenerational audience of both givers and recipients.

According to CMO Craig Brommers, Stewart's widespread recognition across age groups makes her an ideal choice for this initiative. "Gen Z's watching her on TikTok, mom is watching her on Instagram, grandma is watching her on 'The Today Show'," Brommers explained, highlighting her pervasive influence. An E-Poll study further supported this decision, revealing a 33% increase in Stewart's name and image awareness among Gen Z between 2020 and 2024, now on par with millennials. Stewart has become a prominent marketing figure, having previously collaborated with diverse brands such as Pure Leaf, Miracle-Gro, and Tito’s vodka.

Campaign Creative and Messaging

At the heart of American Eagle's campaign is a 30-second spot titled "Martha Wraps the Gifts in AE," featuring a denim-themed set, backdrop, and wardrobe, with Stewart wrapping presents in the material. Additional content will showcase Stewart's renowned hosting abilities, all while keeping American Eagle's core denim product in focus. This creative direction aims to deliver an uplifting message to consumers, many of whom are currently navigating economic pressures.

“American Eagle consumers’ sentiment is that they want some joy to diffuse stress.”

— Craig Brommers, CMO, American Eagle

Multichannel Reach and Audience Engagement

The holiday campaign will span various digital and social media platforms, leveraging both Stewart's and American Eagle's owned channels. Creator partnerships will amplify the campaign's presence on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Significantly, the campaign will also air on connected TV (CTV), a channel the brand hopes will help it reach a more diverse audience, including Gen Z, who are increasingly engaging with CTV content.

Brommers noted that CTV has been an integral part of their media mix throughout the year. "I think there are moments of togetherness that Gen Z is craving right now. They don’t always want to watch everything on their phone,” he added, indicating a strategic shift towards shared viewing experiences.

Strategic Expansion Beyond Core Demographics

The "Give Great Jeans" campaign initially launched in late September with "AE Holiday House," a content series featuring a multigenerational cast across social media, in-store, and digital channels. The partnership with Martha Stewart continues this strategic push to resonate with a broader audience, a tactic American Eagle typically reserves for the crucial Q4 shopping period.

“We are Gen Z’s No. 1 retailer who sells jeans — we are very proud of that,” Brommers stated. “It is at this very moment in the holiday season when we broaden the customer base, and our jeans are for everyone everywhere.”

This multigenerational focus is a trend adopted by other marketers this holiday season, including Gap and Sam’s Club. The multiple chapters of "Give Great Jeans" align with an "always-on" content strategy, aiming to keep American Eagle top-of-mind for consumers throughout the holidays.

“I feel like when you’re a retail CMO now, you’re basically programming a streaming series. You have main characters, and when people tune in, they know the general plot line. But it’s important to bring in guest stars, it’s important to have a plot twist, it’s important to create a sense of urgency.”

— Craig Brommers, CMO, American Eagle

Building on Past Success and Future Vision

The "Give Great Jeans" initiative follows American Eagle’s earlier campaigns this year, including the "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" partnership and a collaboration with NFL star Travis Kelce’s Tru Kolors brand. Despite some backlash to the Sweeney campaign, these celebrity-led marketing efforts generated "unprecedented" new customer acquisition, with counts up 700,000 over the summer, demonstrating the potential payoff of staying the course.

While Stewart brings similar star power, and the overarching "Give Great Jeans" campaign could be seen as an extension of previous efforts, Brommers emphasized that this latest push is designed to stand on its own. “American Eagle always stands for great jeans, we have great jeans, and when you think about the past campaigns, it all ladders up to this idea that we have great jeans for everyone,” Brommers affirmed. “‘Give Great Jeans’ is a new and distinct chapter in that particular story.”

Beyond expanding its audience, American Eagle’s partnership with Stewart aims to surprise and delight customers—a core tenet of its marketing strategy. “Boring is the enemy of great marketing,” Brommers concluded. “When we think about recent campaigns, we’ve taken big bets at big moments… and I think that doing things that surprise people and cut through the noise are the campaigns that are connecting with people.”