From Controversy to Clicks: How Ads Reach the Right Audience

 The word “Screenager” is described as,” A person in their teens or early twenties who has an aptitude for computers and spends a lot of time on the internet.” according to Oxford Languages. Advertisements are seen popping up on people’s screens, where people do not bat an eye and immediately find the “X” button and delete them. In recent times, due to the surge of TikTok, short-form content has taken over the internet. However, the more short-form content is being consumed, the smaller the viewer’s attention span gets. Ads are designed to be integrated into everyday things to make products marketable. When people are scrolling, they see the latest trends and music being shared. To adapt, advertisers now integrate products into trending dances and songs, turning cultural moments into marketing strategies.

On July 23, 2025, American Eagle came out with their campaign with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans". American Eagle used the wordplay of jeans and genes to imply that Sweeeny has superior genes. This struck a huge controversy because of the issue of eugenics. There was outrage on social media about how outdated the thought of one gene being “superior” is. I believe that companies should advertise their products to their core demographic and clearly show the purpose and use of their product. There are many cases where a celebrity endorsement or advertisement can be misleading, for the purpose of bringing in the wrong audience for more profits. Companies should look at their feedback and cater to their main demographic. The jeans in the American Eagle advertisement were clearly ill-fitting and did not show the functionality of the jeans. In addition, the advertisement was from the perspective of the male gaze, with very suggestive camera angles and direction. Younger women and teens would be the main demographic for the advertisement, but it was not geared towards the correct audience. 

On the other hand, Katseye, a global pop group, collaborated with GAP with the catchphrase ”Better In Demin.” which heavily opposed American Eagle’s advertisement unintentionally. Katseye members danced to the song Milkshake which demonstrated the practicality of the denim being worn in the music video. Katseye’s fanbase is geared towards teenagers, which is also the demographic GAP wanted to advertise to. GAP was very clever with their marketing because Katseye is famous for their iconic dance trends on TikTok. In addition, it is common for people to buy what K-pop artists wear in their music videos when making dance covers. The campaign was a huge success, driving people to dance to Milkshake and buy their own GAP jeans to mimic the music video and hop on the trend. Both the functionality of the jeans and the advertisement being pushed to their main demographic were fulfilled. They made an iconic dance trend out of their make their jeans advertisement feel like a music video.

Social media and the internet are integral to advertising today, and trending short-form content and music will shape the future of advertising. For example, many songs are associated with products, such as the song Diet Pepsi by Adison Rae and Zero by New Jeans, which are advertisements for Pepsi and Coca-Cola. In the GAP “Better In Denmin” advertisement, I referenced the song Milkshake by Kelis was tied to GAP jeans. The overwhelming amount of support and positive feedback that was received from the internet was incredible. The use of short-form content and music will be the future of successful advertising. 

Works Cited Page

Campbell, Robert M. “The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act and How It Protects You.” Gross McGinley, LLP - PA Law Firm - Allentown, Easton, Stroudsburg, Philadelphia, Gross McGinley, LLP, 24 Feb. 2022, www.grossmcginley.com/resources/blog/the-home-improvement-consumer-protection-act-and-how-it-protects-you/. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.

Cynar, Mike. “Home.” PriceItHere.com |, 25 June 2014, www.PriceItHere.com. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.

“Gap Denim Feat. Katseye | Gap.” Gap.com, 2024, www.gap.com/browse/info.do?cid=3050124.

“Sydney Sweeney’s Picks | American Eagle.” American Eagle Outfitters, 2015, www.ae.com/us/en/x/women/featured/women-sydney-sweeneys-picks.

Youtu.be, 2025, youtu.be/IwzF26o0AuU?si=vOfSDZcc3agP-aFt. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.

Youtu.be, 2025, youtu.be/AK8s3iqL99c?si=10SfreMSDzQoaJ7L. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.