There’s no question that when Sydney Sweeney releases an ad campaign, it gets people talking. Whether it's selling soap infused with her bathwater, starring in an ad for American Eagle that led to serious backlash, or becoming an equity partner in Novig and doing an ad where she wore nothing but footballs, she knows how to make a viral moment. However, while these instances burn big and bright for a moment, do they actually turn into long-term sales? Let's talk about it.
Is Working With Sydney Sweeney Leading To Sales For American Eagle?
When Sweeney’s first campaign with American Eagle launched, it was met with an intense amount of discourse. While it faced serious backlash, as some thought the campaign was promoting eugenics based on how it used the word “jeans” like “genes,” it did bring in 790,000 new customers in six weeks, and in Q3 of 2025, sales grew 1% according to Adweek. It also reportedly added about $400 million in market value and upped web traffic by 100%.
Then, after both Sweeney and Travis Kelce’s AE campaigns launched, there was a growth in sales around the holiday, as American Eagle Outfitters reported “record holiday-quarter sales of $1.8 billion.”
While Sweeney’s first campaign with American Eagle was a very big deal and did make an impact, the second did not lead to the same kind of gains. In this new report, it’s stated that in Q1 of 2026, AE’s sales fell 2% (even though total comps rose to 8% due to a 25% jump from the brand Aeire). In reference to that, Jay Schottenstein, the CEO of AEO, said that the overall results were mixed.
Michael Gunther, Consumer Edge’s SVP of Research and Market Intelligence, explained that when it comes to American Eagle’s second campaign with Sweeney, there’s “little evidence of a sustained improvement comparable to the original campaign’s holiday performance.”
Let’s Talk About Sydney Sweeney And Dr. Squatch
Overall, it would seem that Sweeney’s campaigns do generate sales. However, once the shock of her ads wears off, sales dwindle. For example, when her Dr. Squatch ad about her bathwater came out, it “drove a 20% week-over-week jump in revenue,” according to the brand’s then-VP of Global Marketing, John Ludeke. However, in the months after that, Consumer Edge’s card data showed that Dr. Squatch’s slice of this market went down by 25 basis points.
It was also reported that while the brand sees double-digit growth in its future, it has seen a slowdown in bar soap sales. Dr. Squatch’s CEO, Josh Friedman, did make it clear, however, that Sweeney’s ad campaign was also successful because it ultimately helped the brand launch a body wash line.
What’s Going On With Novig?
As for the actress’ latest ad campaign with Novig, which did cause backlash, it’s had some notable early wins. Novig has raised funding at a $2 billion valuation, which is up from the $500 million it was at earlier this year. Along with that, first-time despitores went up over 281% in the weeks after Sweeney’s ad premiered. So, things are looking up for this partnership; the question is, can it be sustained?
The data seems to say her work provides sales in the short term. The long term is a bit of a different situation. However, if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that getting Sydney Sweeney in an ad is sure to generate a big conversation.
