In this evolving marketing landscape, you can’t just use the same old marketing playbook for the two groups out there. What resonates with a Gen X—something that feels reliable and straightforward—may fall flat with a Gen Z. Gen Z could be more into engaging stuff, authentic to the rest, and a bit quirky or even socially dominant. So, the real question is: How do you market differently to these two groups of people who are kind of north and south pole to each other? Well, to answer this burning question in every marketer’s mind.
In the upcoming EssentiallySports Think Tank podcast episode, our host, Trey Holder, and guest speaker, CMO of American Eagle Outfitters Craig Brommers, tried to address this thought. Their discussion on different tactics could open up a new route for marketers to implement in their businesses.
Craig Brommers, a seasoned marketing executive with stints at Calvin Klein, Gap, and Abercrombie & Fitch, brings deep industry expertise to AE. Serving as Chief Marketing Officer, Brommers has positioned American Eagle as the heart of Gen Z. So, without wasting any time, our host Holder had an interesting question ready for Brommers. “Do you market to the Gen X crowd differently than you will to the Gen Z crowd? Do you use different tactics for them?” Holder asked.
Brommers’ passion lies in deep research while aligning himself to his customers’ demands. He gave his unfiltered take on his tactics to differentiate between Gen X and Gen Z. First of all, he said, “Yes.” Brommers does use different tactics to tap into Gen X and Gen Z., but how does he pull it off? He also explained it in simple words. “With Gen Z, that younger consumer, but mom and dad often have the credit card to make those purchases, right? And so you want to make sure that we are in the consideration set. When mom and dad are either handing that credit card over to their kids or are buying something proactively for them,” Brommers mused.
American Eagle may have a consumer base of 65% Gen Z, but they are still wary about Gen X. This shows they aren’t overly reliant on Gen Z to bring all the revenue. Craig also went on to explain the approach they adopted to make this differentiation. “We’re going after especially mom in a place like Facebook, and to some extent a place like Pinterest more,” Brommers added. Meanwhile, for Gen Z, “We’re going after the actual user, the kid that’s driving the purchase on places again like TikTok and Snap. So you are kind of dual pathing,” Brommers quipped.
As you know, ever since Brommers took over as CMO of AE, he has led successful partnerships with TikTok and Snap. So, considering he has also given Facebook—the old god of digital marketing—equal importance. It shows how he is also tapping into Gen X to feed the Gen Z market even more. But Brommers didn’t just spill his tactics about differentiating between Gen X and Gen Z and leave. He also made a strong statement that separates AE from the rest of the market.
The AI Edge: Future-Proofing with Tech
It’s an open secret that artificial intelligence is slowly and steadily taking over every industry. Take, for instance, marketing. Using AI, marketers are unlocking newfound levels of scale and efficiency. So, Brommers, whose mission is to lead the strategic and creative engine of American Eagle, is pretty bullish on AI. “With AI tools that are marketers are beginning to use and will continue to use aggressively over the next couple of years. We’re going to be able to find these niche audiences in ways that we might not have before,” Brommers said with a confident tone.
Actually, Brommers feels the results are already beginning to show as he added, “When I step back and look at our market share we’re actually begun to diversify our age base.” Speaking of age base, Brommers found the perfect opportunity to make a strong statement. Something that echoes American Eagle Outfitters’ dominance in one niche.
“I’ll say this to your listeners today: We’re the number one selling jeans brand for women of all ages in the US now, which is a pretty impactful statement.” Why? Brommers added, “Because you know we were previously the number one selling jeans brand to Gen Z. So there’s something going on out there about you know technology and the cultural impact we are having that in getting millennials and others inside of our customer base now.”
Here’s the breakdown: AE is the No.1 jeans brand for 15 to 25-year-olds in America. No.1 jeans brand for women of all ages. And the No.2 jeans brand for all demographics in the US. So, there’s broader appeal to different groups and genders, which shows that American Eagle is killing it in the market. With Brommers leading the charge, the sky is the limit for American Eagle Outfitters.
Our EssentiallySports Think Tank podcast specializes in offering valuable insights from leaders around the globe. For more such interviews, stay tuned as we try to bring more industry leaders on our podcast.
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