American Eagle unveils martha Stewart as Holiday Campaign Star, Targeting Broader Audience
NEW YORK – November 25, 2023 – American Eagle Outfitters is adding an unexpected twist to its holiday marketing strategy with a collaboration featuring lifestyle icon Martha Stewart. The partnership, announced today, aims to broaden the retailer’s reach beyond its core Gen Z demographic while capitalizing on Stewart’s surging popularity across multiple generations.
The campaign will feature Stewart in denim and other holiday apparel,appearing across social,digital,and connected TV channels. According to American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers, the move is a deliberate effort to surprise audiences and position the brand’s jeans as a top-of-mind gift choice during the crucial Thanksgiving week shopping period.
“When people think of an iconic holiday host, people think Martha Stewart,” brommers told ADWEEK. “This partnership will be unexpected and make perfect sense simultaneously occurring.”
The collaboration builds on American Eagle’s existing holiday marketing push, which began in late September with the “AE Holiday House” campaign showcasing a multigenerational cast. It also aligns with the brand’s strategy of leveraging nostalgia through recognizable characters, evidenced by previous holiday content featuring the Grinch and Snoopy.
Notably, Stewart’s appeal among Gen Z has grown significantly, increasing by 33% between 2020 and 2024, now matching her recognition among Millennials, according to an E-Poll survey. This growth is attributed, in part, to her active social media presence and recent Netflix documentary.
American Eagle’s recent high-profile collaborations with Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce have drawn critically important attention to the brand’s campaigns. Brommers emphasized the importance of maintaining a strategic intent behind these “plot twists,” ultimately aiming to reinforce American Eagle’s position as a provider of “great jeans, for everyone and anyone.”
The company plans to continue “to take big swings at big moments” beyond the holiday season,seeking to define culture rather than simply participate in it.
