American Eagle has introduced a brand platform — Live Your Life — that coincides with the launch of its fall campaign headlined by U.S. Open tennis champion Coco Gauff, who will also debut her first collection with the brand, and others.
The campaign also features quarterback Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and actors Kristine Froseth (“The Buccaneers”) and Nikki Rodriguez (“My Life With the Walter Boys.”)
Live Your LIfe was first introduced by the AE brand 20 years ago, and the company believes the phrase has even more meaning today with a new generation of customers.
“We’ve been doing some deep research on Gen Z and Millennials and understanding what our brand means to them. We’re going to be using three words that we actually own, ‘Live Your Life,’ that encapsulates the mindset of our customer base right now,” said Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer of American Eagle, in an interview.
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He said whether that’s travel, style, a Taylor Swift concert or a community impact project, “there’s this desire to get out there and live your life,” he said. “I always say that back-to-school is American Eagle’s Super Bowl. This is the Super Bowl on steroids,” said Brommers, who said the campaign’s talent is filled with people who bring “something new to the stage.”
“Coco Gauff, already a tennis icon, is someone who exemplifies that entrepreneurial hustle of Gen Z, with her business interests, with her community impact and her sense of style as well. Coco will be featured in all aspects of the campaign — video, still, outdoor, activations.”
The 2023 U.S. Open champion and number-two singles player in the world, Gauff returns for her second AE campaign, and will launch her first fashion collaboration, Coco Gauff x American Eagle on Aug. 15. Gauff will also be a flag bearer for Team USA alongside LeBron James at the Olympics in Paris.
Coco Gauff x American Eagle will include three tops, a denim skirt, jeans and a denim jacket featuring her iconic U.S. Open quote, “Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me.” The collection will range from $34.95 to $89.95 and will be available on AE.com and in select AE stores.
AE is also featuring Lawrence, an NFL quarterback. “I don’t know if it’s the Taylor Swift effect or the [Travis] Kelce effect, the NFL is obviously at an all-time high and sports is certainly one of the passions of our customer base. Having Trevor participate in our campaign really brings a lot of relevance to America’s most popular sport,” Brommers said.
“These four will also help us launch the campaign and launch the Live Your Life mindset,” Brommers said. AE will also feature influencers and their customer base to get the “Live Your Life” message out, he said.
The brand will partner with Life on Film and more than 200 celebrities, such as AnnaSophia Robb, Chris Briney and Jonathan Daviss, to capture how they live their lives with images from disposable cameras that will be edited into a video montage and shared across their owned social channels.
AE will also show up at college football games this fall and plans 3D billboards and partnerships with Gen Z-focused social platforms. In a guerrilla marketing effort, AE will also have custom videos projected on AE stores where customers will be invited to be part of the campaign.
Brommers said the multimedia campaign was shot in various locations, with most of it done in Florida.
He anticipates the 3D billboards will feel disruptive. “We’re really about disruption at this point, and American Eagle and this ‘Live Your Life’ phrase is everywhere.”
Brommers said this back-to-school campaign is the most American Eagle has ever spent on a campaign, although he declined to reveal the ad budget. “We’re still in a nice denim trend cycle, and we’ve had really nice positive comps, and we’re excited to talk about some of the emerging trends that will be popular in this fall season,” he said.
In the first quarter ended May 4, revenues at the American Eagle division of American Eagle Outfitters rose 8 percent to $725 million, with comp sales growing 7 percent. [AEO also operates the Todd Snyder brand, the results of which are included in the AE brand.]
Jennifer Foyle, president and executive creative director, American Eagle and Aerie, said the fall collection “showcases our dominance as the go-to-denim destination. Designed to inspire customers to live their lives, our classic silhouettes are paired alongside the hottest trends with Stovepipe, Barrel and Baggy Wide Leg jeans to deliver so much newness to curate your fall look.
“The big thing is look for surprise moments where AE will show up in unexpected places. One thing that we’ve been excited by is these moments where people will say, ‘I can’t believe AE pulled that off.’”
The company’s 846 stores in the U.S. play a pivotal role in its success.
“Physical stores have been so important to this resurgence of our customer base, especially Gen Z and Millennials wanting to get back into physical stores,” Brommers said.
