• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer, Yesterday

Craig Brommers, CMO of American Eagle Outfitters, has a new way of explaining his job. After surviving the tornado of the Sydney Sweeney "Great Jeans" upheaval last summer, he's begun thinking about AEO as a streaming show that he is programming — one where you tune in for the main characters and the familiar storyline, but you keep coming back because the plot keeps moving and, occasionally, snaps your head back. Martha Stewart selling jeans. The Sweeney campaign not just surviving, but becoming the most successful in company history. Country newcomer Ella Langley skyrocketing to No. 1 the same week her AEO campaign launched.

"I don't know if the stars have ever lined up this much," he says. "I'm constantly saying, 'Pinch me.'"

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Retail Insider: You are just back from the Stagecoach Music Festival, with an activation there headlined by Ella Langley, who has been at the top of the country charts since you launched the campaign back in February. Were you pleased with the way it went?

Craig Brommers: It's not our first rodeo, but it was our first Stagecoach, and it was a huge success. Anytime you do something this big, it has to start with a customer insight. And for this one, it's the increasing popularity of country music. According to Spotify, country is the most-listened-to genre for our customer base, and the fastest-growing music genre for Gen Z.

Not only did Ella's song hit No. 1 the week of the campaign launch, it stayed No. 1 right through the festival. Bailey Zimmerman, who also performed on opening night, is another example of great timing. He grew up without much means and tells stories about his family visiting AEO on vacation. To be able to take his mother to our Nashville store in March and see his face on the store window — it's a goose bump-inducing, full circle moment.

Sydney Sweeney’s appearance -- she is the new face of our denim jeans with the “Syd for Short” campaign -- got lots of attention, too.

Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than smart.

Retail Insider: About Sydney Sweeney. What did you learn from that tornado?

Craig Brommers: The biggest takeaway is that external pressure can be very noisy. Social media can be noisy and the mainstream media can be noisy. I'm really proud of our team, and Sydney herself — who was also in the tornado — for turning down that volume and looking at the reality of our business, the reality of our customer metrics and the reality of our brand metrics. We stayed the course, and we are glad we did. It's been documented as the most successful campaign in our 49-year history.

It felt so satisfying to join our earnings call in September and talk about the impact of the campaign. Our stock price went up 36% — the largest earnings-call stock bump in our history.

Retail Insider: How do you define your CMO role these days?

Brommers: We always have to be nimble. When I talk with my team now, I say we are programming this brand as if it was a streaming show. You tune in because you have a general sense of the main plot line and the main characters. But we keep coming back because the storyline evolves, and there are guest characters that are introduced.

There may even be a WTF plot twist that snaps people's heads back, so they say, "Wow. I didn't expect that." We've had the Travis Kelce collaboration, launched just after his engagement announcement. We used Martha Stewart in our holiday gift-giving campaign. That's what we're trying to do: building episodic story arcs, and seasonal ones, that keep people curious, interested and committed.

Retail Insider: In this analogy, though, maybe AEO is more like an older show -- perhaps "Law & Order"? -- than, say, "Margo's Got Money Troubles."

Brommers: In this streaming show called American Eagle, we still have to stay true to our main character and plot point. Doing something just for shock value won't work. We're a heritage brand and have been around since 1977. We are the No. 1 jeans brand for Gen Z. And we are at a time when young people are craving a true sense of Americana.

That's why country music is having a moment. It's all about the things Gen Z cares about right now — friendships, family, community, storytelling, and in some cases, simplicity. Yes, they are on their phones all the time. But they are looking for ways to cut through the noise of the reality of the world we live in. Turns out a 2026 teenager is a lot like a 1926 teenager. Ella, Travis and Sydney — they amplify what we are communicating, and we stay true to who we are.

Retail Insider: The stock price gain is a powerful endorsement of AEO marketing, but in the most recent quarter, sales rose only 2%. So much is at play — tariffs, tighter consumer wallets, Gen Z's particular financial pressures. What converts buzz into sales?

Brommers: You don't work in retail unless you're ready for the roller-coaster ride. The great thing about this company is that our chairman and CEO takes a short-, medium- and long-term view of the business. Of course, we are cognizant of quarterly sales — I get a read on what's going on in stores every hour of every day. But continued success comes down to key questions: Is this a brand that reflects my values? Is this a product that allows me to express myself? Can I shop for it in channels that are entertaining and fun?

We are also benefiting from young people returning to malls. Gen Z wants to be in the physical environment with tactile products, interacting with human beings. The fact that we have the second largest specialty retail store fleet in America, after Gap, will allow us to win in that particular environment.

Retail Insider: What keeps you up at night?

Brommers: What keeps me up is less about what we can control internally. It's more about external navigation. The Sydney Sweeney campaign was an example — for those few months, we didn't sleep a lot. But there will be different external pressures in three months, in six months. All we can do is control the controllables.