American Eagle’s “Live Your Life” platform sparks enthusiasm among young shoppers

In July, American Eagle revived a 20-year-old slogan “Live Your Life.” This phrase was originally trademarked by the retailer in the mid-2000s, but was recovered earlier this year as American Eagle’s marketing platform. 

The Live Your Life platform encourages consumers to step out of the digital world and to engage with those around them IRL. American Eagle’s consumer research found that Gen Z and Millennials long for more human connection and real experiences, as opposed to endless scrolling on social media.

Their research also found that these young shoppers think the American Eagle brand is loyal to the value of self-expression. This allows American Eagle to authentically support the notion of being yourself, doing what makes you happy, and living your life – whatever that means to you.

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Flooding consumers’ social media feeds

As part of the campaign, the brand is partnering with tennis player Coco Gauff, NFL quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and actresses Kristine Froseth and Nikki Rodriguez. In addition to this star-studded cast, American Eagle has partnered with more than 200 influencers. The brand is looking to flood consumers’ social media feeds with Live Your Life content.

“Live Your Life feels more relevant today than when it was first introduced more than 20 years ago. American Eagle’s purpose has always extended beyond providing great products, and this platform embodies everything we want for our customer–optimism, connection and to empower them to be who they want to be. We tapped into Coco, Trevor, Kristine and Nikki–all incredibly inspiring individuals–because they exemplify that greatness comes from authentically pursuing your passions. Live Your Life is a testament to how we’re inspiring a new generation to live their lives to the fullest.” – Craig Brommers, American Eagle’s Chief Marketing Officer

American Eagle is also partnering with the social media account Life On Film. Life On Film gifts strangers with disposable cameras, and asks them to capture their experience in photos, maybe a night out with friends or a vacation away. The camera recipient returns the camera to Life On Film, who transforms the developed images into a video memory. American Eagle is embracing Life On Film’s video montage style with their own influencers – looking to produce a less staged, and more organic, marketing push. They further hope that their shoppers will create and share their own Life On Film-style videos.

Did the platform hit its mark?

While Gen Z is American Eagle’s primary consumer, the retailer is also hoping that their Live Your Life platform will resonate with Millennials and Gen Alpha. For Millennials, this campaign may carry notes of nostalgia, as Millennials shopped with the retailer in the mid-2000s when Live Your Life was first trademarked.

Using data from QuestBrand by The Harris Poll, we can see the impact that Live Your Life has had on American Eagle’s sales conversion funnel. A sales conversion funnel tracks customers’ journey on the buying process, from initial brand awareness through to product purchase and recommending the product to others.

American Eagle Conversion Funnel – Pre vs Post Platform Launch – Millennials and Gen Z Adults

QuestBrand. Base: Millennials and Gen Z adults. Pre: 5/1/24-7/24/24, n=396. Post: 7/25/24-9/15/24, n=660.

When we compare young adults’ (Gen Z and Millennials) sales conversion funnel from pre-to-post platform launch (July 25th), we see that American Eagle’s trial (+6.8), usage (+11.7), and recommend (+7.1) significantly increased post-launch. This signals that young adults were more often interested in purchasing from American Eagle after the release of Live Your Life.

American Eagle Brand Attributes – Pre vs Post Platform Launch – Millennials and Gen Z Adults

QuestBrand. Base: Millennials and Gen Z adults. Pre: 5/1/24-7/24/24, n=396. Post: 7/25/24-9/15/24, n=660.

In addition to the widening of American Eagle’s sales conversion funnel, the way that young consumers describe the brand shifted after the platform launch. Young shoppers significantly more often described the American Eagle brand as “innovative” (+8.9), “classy” (+7.6), “stylish” (+7.2), “traditional” (+6.5), “fun” (+5.3), a “good value” (+5.1), and “hip” (+3.6).

Live Your Life shows the impact that a strong, authentic marketing platform can have on a brand. American Eagle positively captured young adults’ attention with their call for shoppers to live authentically, and to make the most of every in-person experience.