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American Eagle’s great ‘jeans’ PR disaster

Posted on by SellerBites

After the Wall Street Journal claimed Amazon raised prices on essentials post-tariffs, Amazon fired back—calling the report cherry-picked, misleading, and flat-out wrong for focusing on just 0.04% of its inventory.

  • American Eagle sparks outrage with ‘great jeans’ ad 👖
  • Ever wonder what tools top agencies use for Amazon? 🛠️
  • Walmart stole Prime Day’s spotlight 🛒
  • Faster payouts for Amazon sellers 💸
  • Get Looped In and take the chaos out of ecommerce accounting ✉️

BIG IDEA

American Eagle dropped a denim campaign starring Sydney Sweeney with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”—and the internet promptly set it on fire.

⚠️ Where it went off the rails

The ad features Sweeney in nothing but jeans, a voiceover about inherited traits like blue eyes, and a punny moment where “genes” is crossed out and replaced with “jeans.”

Some viewers applauded the vibe, but critics pointed to several flaws, including:

  • Eugenics-adjacent messaging
  • Promotion of white beauty standards
  • A mismatch between the sexy imagery and the campaign’s charity focus on mental health and domestic violence

💡 Beneath the fallout 

Strip away the controversy, and you’ve got a crash course in what not to do.

Forbes pulled five marketing lessons from the wreckage:

  • Choose your lane. Inclusive marketing doesn’t mean serving everyone, but it does mean knowing who you’re leaving out, and owning it. 🤝
    • What AE did:Leaned into classic Americana beauty. It hit for some, but left many feeling excluded.
  • Words carry weight. Your message isn’t just selling a product, it’s shaping how people see themselves and others.
    • What AE did:Dropped a “great genes” pun on a blonde, blue-eyed actress while tying it to serious causes like domestic violence.
  • Intent does not equal impact. Good intentions don’t shield you from backlash. The audience decides what your message means.
    • What AE did:Bragged about the “double meaning” in a now-deleted LinkedIn post. Critics heard something else entirely.
  • Test it before you blast it. Your team might love an idea. That doesn’t mean the public will. 🧪
    • What AE did:Rolled out a full-scale campaign without signs of meaningful consumer testing. The internet did the QA.
  • Don’t patch with panic. Respond with strategy, not speed. A sloppy response can make a bad situation worse.
    • What AE did: Swapped in a vague denim post featuring a racially ambiguous model quoting Beyoncé—who, awkwardly, is in a Levi’s campaign. 🤦

American Eagle’s “Great Genes” campaign tried to be clever, but stumbled into controversy. For marketers, it’s a five-part case study in what happens when branding ignores nuance.

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  • Proven SOPs, checklists, and templates for every stage of growth
  • Expert-built video walkthroughs to implement strategies with confidence
  • Regular updates based on real agency insights and marketplace shifts
  • Live training and sessions tailored to what’s working right now on Amazon

Whether you’re optimizing listings, improving ad performance, or scaling operations, Seller Alliance gives you real, reliable resources without the fluff. No endless YouTube rabbit holes. No recycled content. Just what works—straight from the agency trenches.

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BITES OF THE WEEK

HOT TOPIC

Walmart won Prime Day without hosting one

Amazon stretched Prime Day 2025 into a four-day blowout, hoping a longer event would ease economic fatigue and boost sales. But instead of locking buyers in, it drove more people to its biggest rival. 😅

According to WebProNews, Walmart saw an 8.9% spike in foot traffic during Prime Day. 

🛍️ Walmart stole the show

The extra 48 hours killed urgency. Instead of panic-buying lightning deals, shoppers comparison-shopped across platforms. 

And Walmart? It came ready to capitalize.

  • Walmart+ rolled out hard-hitting promos, especially for households earning under $50K.
  • In-store deals on back-to-school items stole serious traffic.
  • Amazon orders leaned cheap, with most purchases under $20.
  • Essentials (not electronics) led the charge—think dish tabs and protein powder, not tablets or TVs.

Basically, people bought what they needed, not what they were tempted.

💡 FOMO > flexibility

Amazon thought “more time = more shopping.” 

Turns out, “more time = more window shopping.”

Prime Day went from a one-stop frenzy to a full-on industry-wide sale.

SELLER REFRESHER

How to speed up your Amazon seller payouts

If you’re wondering when your next Amazon payout is coming—or why it’s taking so long—you’re not alone. Seller disbursements can be predictable until they’re not.

Amazon just dropped tips on how to track what you’re owed, plus a few tricks to get paid faster.

💰 How to track payouts

Start with your Payments Dashboard in Seller Central. Go to Payments > Payments in the main menu to access the Statement View. This is where you’ll see: 

  • Current balance
  • Recent disbursements
  • Funds available for transfer

To check when you’ll get paid and how much, scroll to the bottom of the page. You’ll see your next scheduled disbursement date and estimated amount.

🔍 For more details

Click the Disbursements tab to see a full payout history. If a transaction says “deferred”, it just means Amazon is holding the funds temporarily—usually for things like:

  • Invoiced (not yet paid) orders
  • Post-delivery refund windows (Amazon typically holds funds for 7 days after delivery)

🚀 3 ways to get paid faster

  • Amazon Express Payout: Eligible U.S. sellers can enroll to receive payouts within 24 hours.
  • Seller Wallet: Send, receive, and convert funds in 20+ currencies—ideal for global sellers looking to avoid high exchange fees.
  • Amazon Currency Converter: Get paid in your local currency. Fees shrink as your volume grows.

Pro tip: If it’s been more than five business days since payout, use the trace ID in the Disbursements tab to follow up with your bank.