It's Not Tariffs, It's You: How Marketing Missteps and Tone-Deaf Collabs Are Crushing Brands

In the past, brand partnerships were rare cultural events tied to elites and icons, shaping consumer trends. The digital age has turned collaborations into a near-constant industry activity driven by influencers, celebrities and corporations. Novelty initially boosts collaboration appeal, but repeated collabs erode that novelty and shift emphasis to tangible benefits and consumer relevance. Brands now compete in an arms race to launch attention-grabbing campaigns, leaving little time for thoughtful curation and increasing the risk of missteps or controversy. The American Eagle Fall 2025 campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney illustrates how campaign content can draw immediate attention.

Any collaboration is only as good as the benefit that it delivers to its customers. Initially, that's boosted by novelty (I mean, we are designed to seek new experiences for the dopamine hit and social recognition that comes from being early adopters). However, as collabs become more common, the novelty wears off. At this stage, the underlying value proposition—meaning, the tangible benefits and relevance to consumers—becomes the primary factor determining their excitement.

In the past, brand partnerships were seen as monumental cultural events-think 18th-century royals lending their names to luxury goods or icons like Babe Ruth fronting tobacco campaigns in the 1930s. They were rare moments that generated headlines and shaped consumer trends. Nowadays, brands are locked in an arms race to launch the hottest campaign with the flashiest star, hoping to grab attention and drive sales. But with collaborations dropping in a near-constant cycle, there's little time left for thoughtful curation, and that rush to stay relevant can make campaigns more prone to missteps or outright controversy.

Take, for example, American Eagle 's (AE) Fall 2025 campaign featuring "Euphoria" star Sydney Sweeney. In one of the promotional videos for the campaign, Sweeney says, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue." A voiceover then states, "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."

Read at Sourcing Journal