The global market is overflowing with companies who are competing against each other to empty American pockets. This is because they either sell products in a specific market that is oversaturated with companies, or they are fighting for relevance, trying to stand out amongst millions of other companies.
Gap is an American retail company that has been around since 1969 and they utilize artists, culture, and inclusivity to cater to the vast middle-class that want good everyday clothes for good prices. This summer, Gap was one of several companies with campaigns that got people talking, but what sets Gap apart from others who received wide-spread criticism? How can other companies learn from the way Gap campaigns to Americans?
In the latter part of summer, American Eagle dropped a controversial jean campaign. American Eagle is a brand founded in 1977 that sells very similar clothing to Gap which includes affordable and high quality men’s and women’s clothing. This fall they ran a campaign that featured actress Sydney Sweeney. The 28-year-old actress from Washington state is most famous for her role in the captivating 2019 TV-show, ‘Euphoria’, and for starring alongside Glen Powell in the 2023 romcom, ‘Anyone But You’. American Eagle utilized Sweeney’s beauty to promote their woman’s jeans through creating the slogan, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
This simple pun is meant to recognize Sweeny’s beauty by saying she has great “genes”, while also communicating that she has great taste in “jeans” because she’s wearing American Eagle jeans.
During American Eagle’s roll out of the campaign on instagram, they posted a portrait of Sydney in their denim and captioned it: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans…and she got them at AE. Worn by Sydney. Wanted by everyone.”
The comments are flooded with numerous opinions on the campaign. Some claim that “America is back” and a specific user proclaims how they are glad to see a “blonde hair, blue eyed, smoking hot woman on a campaign” again. Despite the original intentions of American Eagle, they have fueled a community that views white people as the primary face of America that must be perpetuated in order to promote patriotism.
NPR speaks about how the campaign can be perceived as tone deaf to our political climate in America today. They address concerns over the idea that the video promotes eugenics, which is the concept that the human race could be improved by breeding people with desirable traits, and the hypersexualization of women. The article mentions how this public opinion is especially important because Americans are currently living under the Trump Administration that is attempting to “slash diversity efforts” and is trying to “target immigrants”.
Millbrook senior, AnnaMarie Maingi, speaks on how she perceived the American Eagle jean campaign.
“Besides it being an ad for jeans and them trying to sell their product, there’s an understated message, and that’s the idea that her genes are good, or her genes are better because of her light skin and her blonde hair, and that adds to the white supremacy that has been specifically on the rise as of late.”
American Eagle wasn’t the only company that came off as tone deaf within their fall campaigns. E.L.F. cosmetics created ad campaigns that featured comedian, Matt Rife, and Drag Queen, Heidi N Closet. E.L.F. based the ad on the real life law firm, Cellino & Barnes, and the purpose was to convey that the company, “Protects your Eyes.Lips.Funds.” The makeup brand chose to use Rife because of his large female fanbase on Tik Tok, but what E.L.F. didn’t understand is that Rife’s image had been tainted by domestic violence jokes he made in his 2023 Netflix comedy special, ‘Natural Selection’.
In the Netflix special, Rife says “it was pretty obvious what happened [to her eye],” referring to a female hostess that he encountered at a restaurant. And when his friend inquires why she is currently a hostess, when she should maybe be in the kitchen where no one can see her eye, Rife replies: “Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”
Although discourse regarding comedians and what things they can and can’t say could go on forever, the matter is that many people understood his jokes as being completely dismissive when handling sensitive topics like domestic violence, especially since he is a male with a large female fanbase.
American Eagle and E.L.F enraged numerous groups of people, especially women, who support these brands and intend to see themselves represented, as well as respected. Not taking into account the nuances within messages or the faces of their campaigns is an error that people are losing patience for, especially when there are so many other businesses to support that support you.
So again, what sets them apart from Gap?
August 19, Gap released their 2025 fall campaign, “Better in Denim,” which featured international girl group, Katseye, dancing alongside 31 amazing dancers to the 2003 pop song “Milkshake” by Kelis. This campaign highlighted three important things within marketing: diversity, community, and communicating a message. Regarding diversity, the choreographer of the dance video, Robbie Blue, is a white and queer man who has risen to great notoriety in this past year by working with pop artists like, Doechii, FKA twigs, Lady Gaga, and Tate McRae on viral music videos and stage performances that have made him an Emmy, VMA, and World Choreographer Award winner this year.
Additionally, and more obviously, Katseye themselves are comprised of multiple races and nationalities, as well as representing the queer community through members like Megan and Lara, who have both come out as bisexual. The whole cast is also very clearly diverse, and the singer, Kelis, is a black woman.
Gap also creates an immense sense of community within their commercials. The dance community is often presented in their ads, which is a historical tactic they have routinely used. For instance, in 1998, they had a very energetic Khaki campaign that featured dancers dancing to swing music, doing partnered dancing.
Even more recently, last year, Gap had the campaign, “Linen Moves,” which featured the hit song, “Back on 74,” by the British band Jungle. The dancers in the video are the same featured in Jungle’s music videos for their album, “Volcano,” and they are a diverse group of dancers who have immense talent. These dancers danced alongside the South African singer and songwriter, Tyla, in their Gap linen and within a warm lit set that oozed with organic energy.
Lastly, Gap communicates a clear message. Juxtaposed to American Eagle’s proclamation that Sydney Sweeney has jeans that are wanted by everyone, which is a statement that can be probed for the search of the company’s intention, Gap’s caption reads: “This is denim as you define it. Your individuality. Your self-expression. Your style. Powerful on your own. Even better together.” This message isn’t a phony attempt to attract and get a wider audience, it is a message that hit home and was clearly accepted by many through the vibrant campaign.
Millbrook High School sophomore, Honey Delong, describes how the Katseye Gap ad has influenced her.
“I’d say it has influenced me by sort of altering the way I think about beauty and self expression. Instead of viewing my differences as flaws, I started seeing them as my defining unique traits that give me my individuality. It reminded me that confidence is to really embrace what makes me stand out and what makes me unique, rather than trying to fit in with everyone else and cover up my differences.”
Through global company’s campaigns, they want to sell their products and make increased profits yearly with competition within markets growing, but they must do so through positive impact. People want to buy products from companies that see them and this is communicated through strategic choices within marketing and advertising. Attracting numerous demographics isn’t just a strategy that one can use occasionally though, it is a vital requirement for American companies that have a global reach because our world is intertwined and held together by unity, not separation and superiority.
