Both American Eagle and Gap’s fall denim campaigns lit up social media — but for very different reasons.
While it made an initial splash, the chatter around American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney-fronted ad, which featured the actress making a pun about her good “genes” while clad in a Canadian tuxedo, quickly turned, with critics accusing it of having racist undertones. It became a vehicle for political mudslinging — even President Donald Trump weighed in.
Meanwhile, Gap’s “Better in Denim” spot, which dropped on Tuesday, has been universally praised on social media. In the ad, the six members of the girl group Katseye dance to Kelis’ early 2000s hit “Milkshake,” dressed in Gap’s latest denim collection, including a pleated mini skirt, a collarless jacket and the brand’s Long & Lean jeans, redesigned with a low-rise, Y2K-inspired waistband. In under a week, it’s become the brand’s most viral and highly-engaged campaign of all time.
“I haven’t considered purchasing anything from the Gap in years, but this ad did work on me.” one commenter wrote on Reddit.
The combination of the culturally diverse, Gen-Z favourite group and a song beloved by Millennials helped it resonate with both demographics. But more than that, Fabiola Torres, Gap’s global chief marketing officer, said that she believes a big reason for the campaign’s stand-out performance was an inherently positive vibe that just “feels right.”
“The moment you put easy, uplifting content in the world, people gravitate,” she said. “There’s so much noise out there that it’s about being culturally relevant. But you cannot say I want to be culturally relevant if the consumer doesn’t vote for you.”
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According to the brand, the campaign, which was created by Gap’s agency partner Invisible Dynamics, reached record-high engagement across all of its channels. It’s now Gap’s most-liked TikTok video and Instagram post. The video’s view count on Instagram more than tripled Gap’s existing record, performing 100 times better than the label’s 2025 average, according to brand performance platform Launchmetrics. Its earned media value — a metric that reflects engagement and virality — has reached $1.7 million since launch. For comparison, the also-beloved “Feels Like Gap” campaign, which starred “The White Lotus” actress Parker Posey generated $1.1 million in EMV total since its February release.
Its impact goes beyond the numbers: A New York City dance studio launched a class to teach the choreography from the spot, while numerous creators also reinterpreted the dance on TikTok. And it doesn’t end there: Beyond social media, the campaign is being broadcast further through digital placements on platforms like YouTube and in Gap retail locations, including a billboard above its Times Square store in New York. It is also making a run on out-of-home ads on the city’s subways and on bus shelters in other markets.
Casting Choices
The choice to cast Katseye in particular has been applauded by those online, with many drawing a contrast to American Eagle’s selection of Sweeney.
The latter may be one of Gen-Z’s most in-demand ambassadors, appearing in ads for brands including Laneige, Miu Miu and Tory Burch over the past five years, but that didn’t stop consumers from slamming American Eagle’s choice to position a blonde-haired, blue-eyed star as the epitome of “good jeans.” While Katseye’s ad footprint may be more limited — a series of Coach ads in 2024 and a Fendi campaign in April — Gap was praised for spotlighting a group with Filipino, South Korean, Swiss and American members.
“Katseye have good genes,” one Instagram commenter wrote, a not-so-subtle nod to the Sweeney campaign.
And the fact that they have less of a track record in fronting ad campaigns may be more of a benefit than a hindrance.
“We haven’t really seen them in a major brand campaign before, so it feels really fresh,” said Leah Spector, director of communications and content at influencer marketing platform CreatorIQ.
As well, Gap was the first company to tap the group’s dance skills — fitting for a company with a history of dance and music-centric marketing. Musicians from Madonna to SZA have starred in its spots, and last year, Gap released similar dance-focused campaigns featuring artists like Tyla and Troye Sivan.
Torres, who joined Gap in May 2024, said it’s a part of their DNA the company will keep building on as it continues on its turnaround efforts. Since CEO Richard Dickson’s appointment in July 2023, Gap has been rolling out more and more marketing aimed at lifting its cultural relevance, from launching an upscale sub-brand (GapStudio) to dressing stars like Anne Hathaway and Demi Moore for the red carpet.
“It’s not a one-stop thing for us,” said Torres. “We’ve always been supporting talent at the right moment in their career, at least we’ve been trying, and it’s always important for us to continue doing that as we discover new talent.”