Opinion | The line between trendy and tone-deaf marketing

Gap danced their way into everyone’s heart with their recent campaign featuring the musical group KATSEYE. Though their ad was an utter success, American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney “good jeans” campaign left many disappointed. Today, it appears many companies are hyper-focused on celebrity endorsements in their campaigns compared to the quality and message of the campaign itself. 

Overall, based on recent advertisements from brands I have loved for nearly a decade, I feel that in most cases, the use of celebrity endorsements are a poor choice.

Last month, American Eagle released an ad campaign with actress and influencer Sydney Sweeney, who had already done numerous questionable campaigns so far this year. Not only was the ad a blatant sexualization of women, but it very obviously hinted at white supremacy and perfect genes — not the kind you wear. 

Today, brands are too concerned with celebrity appearances to support their brand image, but often this performance leaves a bad impression in consumers’ minds. Companies like AE and e.l.f. recently released campaigns overshadowed by the celebrity appearance. They must be ultra-aware of how a campaign may be received and understand that celebrity endorsements are no longer at the core of a solid campaign.

Maybe it was just AE rushing to release a campaign with a popular actress using a simple play on words. Maybe AE initially wanted to capitalize on the response, but once Gap’s musical number went viral, there wasn’t much left to highlight from AE’s side. To some, this was an extreme oversexualization, and the jeans-to-genes references made by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed female was not ethical. 

Gap did not place sole focus on celebrities unlike AE and e.l.f. Gap’s campaign innovated beyond celebrity appearances. They did not rely on flash or aggressive media tactics, but allowed social media to do its job and spread the campaigns to consumers. Whether marketing jeans or beauty, companies have the opportunity to utilize social media — something that must be done carefully. 

Additionally e.l.f. faced serious backlash for its ad with controversial comedian Matt Rife. e.l.f.’s latest ad playfully parodied law firm commercials, using humor to highlight that the brand would never overcharge for makeup. The campaign — a genuinely funny message and enjoyable concept — received backlash solely due to Rife’s appearance. Rife previously made comments about domestic violence along with gross comments about women during his career, followed by poor apologies. His excuse was purely that it was acceptable comedy because his jokes were made to be funny for the male perspective only. 

This controversy was mentioned in the e.l.f. ad by Rife saying, “I know a thing or two about red flags. And pricey makeup? You deserve better than that.” 

The campaign would have been a success had it not included the unnecessary addition of Matt Rife, who left a bad taste in many makeup lovers’ mouths. The plot of this campaign was an amazing approach to highlight e.l.f.’s pricing and product line — which it is known for — in a humorous fashion, but the addition of Rife took away from all of the quality aspects. Without Rife, e.l.f.. would have had an extraordinarily successful campaign.

Gap successfully highlighted how brands can utilize celebrity endorsements like KATSEYE in the right way to create buzz and bring about a new consumer fan base for the brand. Today, many brands are reeling too heavily on celebrity endorsements to carry the weight of their campaigns. 

Regardless, the reaction by clothing icon Gap was perfectly timed. Whether Gap was working simultaneously on the ad or created it in response to AE, the reactions were universally positive. The Gap ad was a good, high-quality example of how to utilize celebrity appearances without losing focus on the brand’s message. Gap wanted to show you the flexibility, style and trendiness of their jeans. Through great choreography and quality music Gap created a perfect example of using celebrity endorsements in a campaign, where the celebrity was not the main focus.

In the digital age, how marketing campaigns are received, discussed and interpreted is vastly different than it was in the past. Now with public forums such as Reddit, commenting on YouTube and video responses on TikTok, companies cannot escape the public critique. 

Certainly, this can be a great benefit to companies to gain positive feedback, but once a bad campaign is out there and the discussion has begun, no apology or retraction can fix that. While this may have been a financial win for the brand, it still left a bad perception in many consumers’ minds. Marketing is forever changing in society and companies have to be aware of the new digital landscape — filled with conversation and speculation — and they be sensitive about it. An apology can not take back the video already shared to millions or delete the negative feeling it gave viewers. 

Marketing in the digital age is filled with success and failures for many companies. Gap’s celebrity was an excellent use of celebrity endorsement, but unfortunately AE and e.l.f fell very short. Companies today have extensive methods to position and create advertisements, but with the digital landscape as it is, companies will quickly face scrutiny for a poor choice.

Sierra O’Neil is a junior marketing major who loves long walks, overpriced coffee and overanalyzing social media ads. A Pittsburgh native, she is always looking for new places to explore and companies to hire her as their new intern. Connect with Sierra by emailing her at sgo10@pitt.edu.