‘Comment sections are not customers’: American Eagle brings back Sydney Sweeney amid celebrity push

February 19, 2026 Less than a year after some backlash to American Eagle's decision to enlist actress Sydney Sweeney as the face of its brand, the retailer is reinvesting in its celebrity strategy. Last week, the actress joined the retailer to ring in the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The NYSE appearance comes after the "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" ad campaign last summer which sparked debate as to whether the play on "jeans" and "genes" was racially charged. Advertisement TOP STORY Brands in Culture 'Comment sections are not customers': American Eagle brings back Sydney Sweeney amid celebrity push Anatomy of how brands like American Eagle decide whether cultural backlash is noise — or a business threat. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Weather impacts what people try, buy and how they feel. This powers targeting to predict the moments when weather shifts a consumer's mindset toward purchase, driving sales and long-term growth. Learn more in this video. Partner insights from The Weather Company. Well-designed incentives offer value, not just discounts. "The building blocks of a loyalty program are about getting benefits from being part of a program," said Emeline Berlind, svp and general manager of loyalty at Sephora. Partner insights from Talon.One. For advertisers, the challenge that comes with TV is not whether people will watch. It is where they watch, how they move between platforms and how quickly plans need to adapt. Partner insights from Nexxen. MEDIA & PLATFORMS Member exclusive Media Briefing: Publishers explore selling AI visibility know-how to brands Publishers are seeing an opportunity to sell their AI citation playbooks as a product to brand clients, to monetize their GEO insights. Evolving Agencies Omnicom's lack of surprises in its 2025 earnings is both a good and bad thing Results were neither spectacularly good nor terribly bad, with 2025 revenue up 10%, thanks in part to including one month of revenue from Interpublic Group PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CHANNEL FACTORY Three priorities that define the next stage of brand suitability The discussion around brand safety and suitability has matured. The industry is now entering a new phase, where brands expect more control, more extensibility into walled gardens and closer accountability to outcomes. Marketing on Platforms TikTok Shop reverses U.S. shipping policy amid merchant concerns over costs and fulfillment challenges TikTok Shop has reversed its plan to end seller-fulfilled shipping in the U.S., telling merchants that previously announced deadlines will no longer go into effect. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM EXPERIAN Why context is key to making AI successful in marketing As AI takes center stage in marketing strategy, context is emerging as the differentiator that turns reactive automation into predictive intelligence. MARKETING Marketing in Sports How the MLS plans to convert World Cup interest into lasting soccer fandom Alongside advertisers and publishers, the league hopes to use a rare opportunity to promote soccer in the U.S. Advertisement PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM NPR How advertisers are reallocating budgets to find incremental audiences on podcasts Broad-based TV often suffers from inefficient oversaturation, reaching a ceiling in effective reach. By reallocating a portion of their existing budget into highly effective podcast advertising, advertisers unlock substantial and measurable performance gains. ICYMI Generative AI 'Agentic with a small a': CMOs are adopting AI more slowly than it's evolving And the caution isn't confined to large language models or flashy generative tools. It bubbles up just as clearly in decisions about agentic workflows. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy