October 22, 2025

Ep.

43:16

MIN

American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign - what really happened with CMO Craig Brommers

Craig Brommers, CMO of American Eagle, joins us to go behind the scenes of one of the most talked-about campaigns of the year; Sydney Sweeney for American Eagle. Craig reveals what really happened, why the brand partnered with Sydney, and how they handled the extreme social-media reaction. We discuss the data behind the campaign’s success, the decision to pause before responding, and what the advertising press got wrong. Craig also shares lessons in brand leadership, navigating public scrutiny, and what it takes to be a successful CMO in 2025.

See behind the scenes

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Creators and guests

Host

Jon Evans

Host of Uncensored CMO

Guest

Listen everywhere

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

00:35 - The Travis Kelce x American Eagle collaboration

01:51 - Why American Eagle partnered with Sydney Sweeney

03:21 - Did American Eagle know the campaign was going to explode on social media

04:24 - What caused the extreme reaction to the campaign?

06:08 - The System1 scores for the Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle campaign

08:11 - How did it feel seeing the campaign come under so much scrutiny?

11:50 - Choosing to pause instead of reacting immediately

13:41 - Dealing with the personal side of some of the comments

15:09 - The actual results of the Sydney Sweeney campaign

16:51 - The reaction vs the media buy - what was the impact?

18:11 - When Jon almost closed the London Underground with Amaretto

20:53 - Did the advertising press get it wrong about the American Eagle campaign?

22:14 - Craig’s advice for other marketers facing a crisis

27:15 - Will American Eagle continue to work with Sydney Sweeney?

28:31 - Are we entering a “Jeans Wars” era?

29:40 - The product strategy for American Eagle

30:51 - How important are celebrity endorsements in Fashion

31:45 - What are the elements for success for American Eagle

33:26 - 3 things that make a successful CMO in 2025

39:56 - What does a successful CMO look like?

40:44 - The one thing to remember from this conversation

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