American Eagle is tapping into soccer fever by unveiling a new advertising campaign with its global ambassador Lamine Yamal.
The 18-year-old soccer phenom, who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spain National Team, signed an unprecedented five-year deal with the retailer in January to be featured in campaigns and collaborate on limited-edition product.
“It’s definitely something unique for us,” said Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer for American Eagle. “We’ve partnered with some bold-face talent over the last year and we’re always looking for partners that define culture. But we’ve never had a deal for this length of time before.”
But Yamal is not just any ambassador. Despite his age, he has already amassed a rabid global following of fans — and 43.2 million Instagram followers — who admire him for his skills on the pitch as well as his personal style.
“He’s the most exciting new star in the game,” Brommers said. “There’s not another soccer player that defines the sport. People identify with his personal style and his personal confidence and being a winner on a global stage.”
The fact that he’s so young also resonates with American Eagle because of its customer base. “It makes a lot of sense for us,” Brommers said. “He’s the most popular soccer player for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.”
Lamine Yamal for American Eagle.
Courtesy of American Eagle
The campaign featuring Yamal will launch on Wednesday, the day before the FIFA World Cup kicks off. Its title is “Ready for the World,” and is a nod to his preparedness for the tournament as well as his position as soccer infiltrates culture and fashion.
He stars in a print campaign as well as video sporting American Eagle’s current collection.
“He brings street sensibility to our assortment,” Brommers said, noting that for the initial campaign he will be wearing American Eagle product. But later this year and in the future, he will be collaborating with the company on collections.
A look from American Eagle’s Umbro collection.
Courtesy of American Eagleal
In addition to Yamal, American Eagle has also launched two other collaborations tied to soccer. On June 3, it unveiled a co-branded collaboration with Umbro, and the next day, it debuted “The Greats,” an international campaign centered around the question, “What Makes a Great?” and the personalities, passions, and cultural influence of talent shaping the world of soccer. It features former and current soccer stars such as Ronaldinho, Richard Rios and Christiane Endler, as well as singer/songwriter Lunay.
The hero image for The Greats campaign.
Courtesy of American Eagle
“World Cup fever is just beginning and people will want show their true colors, so we have a strong Americana collection for fans of Team USA, heritage product with Umbro and then Lamine,” Brommers said.
