NYC Study Tour: American Eagle Outfitters

Part 1 - Research:  Briefly research and describe the company. 

American Eagle Outfitters is a clothing retailer that was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh. Over the years American Eagle has become a staple of young adults wardrobes across the US and has reached a global market as well. After becoming popular in the 90s and early 2000s as a young adult or “teen” brand the company kind of struggled to stay relevant as time went on. In recent years American Eagle has rebranded itself and successfully kept and grown its audience. It has expanded into women’s sleepwear, intimates, and swimwear with its brand Aerie which gained popularity for its #aerieREAL social media campaign. 

Part 2 – Observations:  What did you learn about the industry?  Specific jobs?  Your own potential career path?  

I was really impressed by the American Eagle trip. I have to be honest, as a millennial college student, I feel like our generation really resents corporate America. Walking into this appointment I was ready to dislike the culture, the jobs, and the workspace. But little did I know there would be coffee and muffins waiting in the huge conference room with big windows and comfy chairs. If this is what corporate America is like I guess I could get used to it. But in all honesty, I have to start thinking more about what I want to do when I graduate from Kent in just seven months. Having a job like the ones that we heard about at American Eagle could be a really great starting point for me. I would love to see their Pittsburgh office as well because I feel like that is close enough to home but also far enough away. The people we met on this appointment were also so interesting. I loved that they asked us our opinions on trends we like and our own shopping habits. their backgrounds were also really crazy, I could talk to each of them for hours just about the places they've worked. 

Part 3 - Weekly Question:  Read the article and share your thoughts on American Eagle staying relevant to their target customer in today’s teen retailing landscape.

Before even reading this article it was apparent to me that American Eagle has been taking steps in the right direction to stay relevant. Their hashtag campaigns (#weallcan and #aerieREAL) have been wildly successful at putting their name back on the map as a young and creative brand. In this day and age making clothes relatable on a higher level is important. The youth of this generation don't want to blend in, they want to make a statement about who they are and stay genuine to that. They want to be authentic. That's what these hashtag campaigns are bringing into American Eagle, authenticity. The #weallcan campaign was a great way to showcase young influencers that teens look up to as the cool fashion icons they are. Even this short video makes me want to go by a pair of American Eagle jeans and make them look as cool as they do here. The #aerieREAL campaign has expanded into college campus days and has really reached a target customer that will continue to buy. Not to mention this campaign inspired similar ones from competitor Victoria’s Secret. I think American Eagle is doing everything right. So much so that after our visit to their offices I went down the street to one of their stores.