American Eagle officially launched its first advertising campaign on Wednesday (local time) for its five-year partnership with Spanish football rising star Lamine Yamal, a news the brand exclusively shared with Marketing Dive. The ad, titled "Ready for the World," debuts one day before the World Cup kicks off, closely linking Yamal's preparation for the tournament with his rising role as a cultural icon.

This is the retailer's latest attempt to attract Gen Z consumers by tying in with popular celebrities and cultural events, following its widely discussed collaboration with actress Sydney Sweeney.

"One of the successful elements in our marketing mix is partnering with top talent who are not just participating in culture but defining it," said Craig Brommers, Chief Marketing Officer of American Eagle. "When it comes to soccer... there is a force rising as the face of global soccer, and that is Lamine Yamal."

A 15-second hero video features quick cuts and camera effects, with Yamal wearing denim and juggling a ball in a studio. After introducing himself and delivering the tagline, the 18-year-old prodigy blows a kiss and winks at the camera. The ad will run across the brand's and the ambassador's owned digital and social channels, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snapchat, as well as connected TV and out-of-home advertising.

American Eagle brand comparable sales fell 2% year-over-year in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 (ending April 2026), but executives said on the earnings call that marketing remains an important long-term growth investment and a key driver within its parent company's portfolio.

Marketing Dive spoke with Brommers about the new campaign, other cultural marketing initiatives, and recent developments around creators and TikTok Shop.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Marketing Dive: In American Eagle's recent earnings call, there was discussion about how marketing spend would be adjusted in the second half of the year. Can you elaborate?

Craig Brommers: In today's modern marketing mix, there are levers that work for short-term, mid-term, and long-term success simultaneously. An investment in talent like Lamine Yamal should generate lasting brand and business impact. As a public company, we must focus on commercial outcomes, especially quarterly results, so we will lean more into mid- and lower-funnel media to drive those results.

But I can say clearly: a retail brand that survives and thrives for 50 years cannot do so without making bets that may not pay off immediately today. As we plan the narrative arc for 2026, we wanted to open with a strong cultural impact—including a partnership with country music singer Ella Langley, a second Sydney Sweeney ad (which was a huge success upon launch), and now a collaboration with Lamine Yamal, the face of the world's number one sporting event.

All these collaborations have short-, mid-, and long-term impact, so as a retail CMO, my job is to balance those impacts to achieve long-term success. We are very excited about the momentum we see in the market for the brand, and as discussed on the earnings call, converting that awareness into commercial success this summer and back-to-school season is our top priority.

Tell us about the partnership with Yamal and how he fits American Eagle's brand image.

Lamine's most notable traits are confidence and self-expression. When we worked with him and his team on this first campaign, that was the vibe we really wanted to highlight. The tagline "Ready for the World" carries deep meaning. Lamine is already an incredible global superstar, but he himself admits that his star power in the U.S. is just beginning to truly rise, so he is ready for the spotlight.

Although I say he is an emerging star in the U.S., our research shows that young people already view him as one of the most important and influential sports figures. He is already a powerful force, but I think in the coming months, you will see that star shine even brighter.

What does this collaboration mean for American Eagle? How will it come to life?

American Eagle is a homegrown American brand, with most sales coming from the U.S., but we have a strong and growing international business. Our partners were thrilled when they learned we could sign Lamine Yamal. He only works with top-tier sponsors—think McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Adidas—so being able to partner with him is a huge score (pardon the pun) for the brand and our international partners.

The coolest part of this multi-year partnership is that he will not only wear American Eagle's core products, but we will also launch multiple co-branded collections with Lamine over the coming months and years. His style, truly defined by street style, is an area our current product line hasn't fully covered yet, so we are both interested in learning from each other and finding different ways to highlight style—American Eagle brings the heritage denim vibe, and Lamine brings youthful confidence with a street-style edge.

The AE Creator Community has surpassed 9,000 creators since launching in February. What does that say?

It has been a huge success from the start. When we think about what matters most in our marketing mix, three things always lead: customer, culture, and community. Clearly, the new creator community we are building places a strong emphasis on the third.

What's exciting is the current level of engagement in this community. You can launch anything and post huge follower growth numbers, but if people aren't engaging, it all means nothing.

For a brand this size, you need to be both a top-down and a bottom-up brand. Clearly, top-down relies on people like Lamine and Sydney, while bottom-up relies on influencers within their own communities. Combining these two helps keep a brand that will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year healthy, vibrant, and relevant.

The brand has been active on TikTok for years. What prompted you to join TikTok Shop in May?

We launched a few weeks ago and had a strong start. As we get closer to the "Super Bowl of denim"—which is back-to-school season starting around August 1—we will go even deeper.

I think the biggest unlock for us is that the scale is now in place, the measurement models have matured, and we must continue to find new ways to engage with younger audiences. We have 900 physical retail stores, making us the second-largest retail store network in the U.S. Young consumers are returning to malls in a big way, and we are very excited about that, but we also know they are using more emerging e-commerce platforms—TikTok Shop is one, and DoorDash (with which we partner) is another. We are excited to continue exploring these new opportunities.

How is the costume partnership with the Amazon Prime Video series "Off Campus" going?

We previously worked with "The Summer I Turned Pretty," and my business partners ask me most often: "Can you find us the next 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'? Because that was a huge success." And "Off Campus" has already surpassed it in viewership.

Finding these cultural moments is very important. Sometimes they are talent, sometimes not. They can be a streaming series, a music festival, or anything else. But when you are a specialty retailer competing with fast fashion or retailers on TikTok Shop, investing in these cultural hot moments at the right time is crucial.