Year in Review: American Eagle, Cracker Barrel and culture wars

The backlash unfold quickly throughout social media, commerce press and mainstream shops, in the end drawing in President Donald Trump, who publicly praised each Sweeney and the marketing campaign.

But whereas on-line discourse framed the work as a cultural misstep, the monetary markets instructed a really completely different story. Within the days following Trump’s endorsement, American Eagle’s share value surged, briefly incomes the retailer ‘meme inventory’ standing. For some business commentators, the episode grew to become proof that outrage not ensures model injury and might, in truth, perform as a development channel.

That disconnect between noise and actuality grew to become clearer when The Drum, working with Kantar, surveyed 1,000 Individuals who have been conscious of the controversy. We found awareness did not translate into widespread rejection. Total, 62% of males and 50% of ladies mentioned they have been nonetheless more likely to contemplate American Eagle sooner or later after seeing or listening to in regards to the marketing campaign. Amongst youthful customers – the model’s core viewers – that determine rose sharply, with almost three-quarters of 18-24-year-olds saying they might contemplate purchasing with the model. 

In an interview with The Drum after the dust had settled, CMO Craig Brommers made clear that the model by no means handled the backlash as a disaster. As an alternative, it considered the second as a chance to channel consideration again to product. Backed by a supportive board, Brommers resisted the urge to over-correct, issuing a single assertion reaffirming that the marketing campaign was “and all the time was in regards to the denims,” then letting the outrage cycle burn out.

For Brommers, the lesson wasn’t about provocation for its personal sake, however about rejecting an business tradition obsessive about security. In a media surroundings the place cultural relevance is fleeting and a focus is scarce, he argued, “vanilla” advertising is the larger danger. Whether or not intentional or not, American Eagle’s expertise recommended that politicization is not an edge case – it’s a situation manufacturers should be ready to navigate, take up and even stand up to.

Cracker Barrel’s failed rebrand showed the other side of that equation. When the 56-year-old restaurant chain quietly unveiled a stripped-back emblem, eradicating its iconic ‘Outdated Timer’ determine and ‘Outdated Nation Retailer’ tagline, it seemingly anticipated design debate, not political intervention. But backlash was swift and fierce, with critics accusing the model of erasing its heritage. President Trump once more entered the fray, publicly condemning the change and celebrating its reversal simply days later.

In contrast to American Eagle, Cracker Barrel moved shortly to retreat, scrapping the brand new emblem and reinstating its authentic id. Branding knowledgeable Wayne Deakin argued the failure wasn’t about execution, however a misreading of the emotional fairness tied up within the model’s symbols. In a hyper-politicized surroundings, he warned, modernization should really feel like evolution, not erasure. Strip away an excessive amount of context and even design selections can develop into ideological flashpoints.

Collectively, the 2 circumstances revealed a defining rigidity of 2025 advertising. American Eagle leaned into danger and weathered politicisation with business success. Cracker Barrel underestimated how deeply its model belongings have been woven into cultural id and paid the worth. Each confirmed that neutrality is not a protect, and that manufacturers now function in a panorama the place each message, picture or redesign is topic to political interpretation.