American Eagle has great range.
After featuring the 28-year-old Sydney Sweeney in what became a highly controversial fall ad campaign, American Eagle is turning to a different type of icon. The Gen Z retailer will feature the 84-year-old Martha Stewart in its holiday campaign titled, “Martha Stewart Hosts the Holidays in American Eagle,” which launches Tuesday.
In three 30-second videos which will air on AE’s social channels, Stewart invites viewers to join her in these classic holiday moments. Swapping her apron for denim, her lines are delivered with a knowing wink inviting consumers to learn how to “dress the turkey,” “dress the table,” and “wrap your gifts,” all while wearing American Eagle jeans.
Martha Stewart appears in American Eagle’s holiday campaign.
Courtesy of American Eagle
Asked why they selected Stewart as the pitch woman to their Gen Z customer, Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer of American Eagle, said, “Martha bridges generations, just like our jeans do. And when you think about this very moment in our overall holiday season, it’s a moment to connect those generations.”
“Gen Z loves Martha Stewart. I’m just blown away by how much resonance she has with Gen Z right now. They’re finding her on TikTok, they’re finding her on social media, they’re watching her documentary on Netflix. They’re searching for old cookbooks,” added Brommers.
In fact, according to an E-Poll study, between 2020 and 2024, Stewart’s name and image awareness among Gen Z grew by 33 percent, now on par with Millennials.
So while Stewart is definitely not Gen Z, “Mom is following Martha on Instagram and Grandma is following Martha on the ‘Today’ show,’” said Brommers. He said this time of year, you want to focus on your core customer, which is still Gen Z, “but you also want to focus on the people that are giving gifts to them.”
An image from American Eagle’s holiday campaign starring Martha Stewart.
Courtesy of American Eagle
Martha Stewart said, “The holidays are a time for thoughtful giving, and I’ve always believed there’s nothing more useful or more universally appreciated than a pair of jeans. American Eagle makes denim that feels exceptional, fits beautifully, and lives up to the demands of everyday life, which is exactly what we all need during the busy holiday season. No one should have to choose between comfort and polish, and frankly, you shouldn’t bother with jeans that require such a compromise. If you want to give a gift that will be worn, loved, and appreciated long after the wrapping paper is gone, give the gift of American Eagle jeans.”
While Stewart may be a surprise partner for American Eagle, it’s one that makes complete sense, said Brommers. “When you think about an iconic holiday host and you close your eyes, Martha Stewart just pops into your mind. So this is going to be a really fun moment to launch right before some of the biggest shopping days of the year,” said Brommers.
Brommers said they could have done the obvious thing and cast a Gen-Zer, “but I think it’s important for us to continue to make big bets at big moments,” he said. “And Martha is so iconic that when you say the name Martha, everyone — Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers — knows who you’re talking about. And so I think this is a moment.”
Martha Stewart holiday image for American Eagle.
Courtesy of American Eagle
AE’s content series is a take on the holiday season to reinforce that American Eagle is the “go-to gifting destination” for families who are shopping for great jeans across generations. The brand launches the content series with “Martha Wraps the Gifts in AE,” a playful expression of getting ready for the season. With a denim-filled set, backdrop and wardrobe, the video makes it clear that jeans are the real star of the campaign. In the video, Stewart said, “This season we’re settling for nothing less than a perfect fit,” and she proceeds to take the denim off a roll on the wall, and cuts, wraps and sews the gift in denim. “There. Seamless,” she said.
Additional content will lean into Stewart’s expertise around holiday celebrations and entertaining, all while showcasing denim.
Stewart, an author, entrepreneur and lifestyle expert, has been particularly busy in recent years opening a restaurant, The Bedford in Las Vegas, launching a skin care line and a CBD product line, and being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Last year, a Netflix documentary about her life called “Martha,” came out, and earlier this year, she began hosting a new cooking competition show called “Yes, Chef!”
Brommers said, “I think this is the moment where you give great jeans for everyone on your list.” While the “great jeans” slogan in the Sweeney campaign caused controversy this summer, Brommers said, “This is a separate, very distinct chapter in the overall brand platform.” He said the strategy is “great jeans for everyone, and we’re telling different and unique stories all the time, and Martha will be a new chapter that is very specific to Martha.”
An image from American Eagle’s ad campaign featuring Martha Stewart hosting the holidays.
Courtesy of American Eagle
Brommers said they launched their holiday campaign, the “AE Holiday House,” in late September featuring a diverse cast of multiple generations wearing AE.
Stewart will appear in videos and on Connected TV. “We know in the next week or so multiple generations will be sitting down in front of their favorite game, in front of their favorite parade and in front of their holiday movie. While it is obvious that American Eagle will be sharing this content on social and in digital, CTV is a great place to reach people that are coming together, whether those are friends or those are family,” said Brommers.
The campaign was shot in New York City and was done internally.
Like most retailers, the holiday season is crucial to American Eagle. “It’s right up there. I internally joke that back-to-school is our Super Bowl and the holiday season is the World Cup,” said Brommers. “These are very important commercial moments for our company, and we’re here to compete. We’re here to win, and when you partner with someone like Martha, the goal is to be top-of-mind when people get their list together, and they go to the malls on Black Friday, or they go to their preferred e-commerce on Cyber Monday, we want American Eagle to be top of consideration. And to do that, we partner with Martha to cut through all the clutter and all the noise out there.”
