Cultural Listening Matters: Lessons from Ralph Lauren and American Eagle

In 2025, featuring diversity in a campaign is no longer enough. Brands must understand the cultures they aim to engage. Representation isn’t just a marketing aesthetic—it’s an ethos, built from the inside out. Ralph Lauren’s Oak Bluffs collection and American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney jeans campaign illustrate two very different approaches. One demonstrates cultural fluency and strategic listening; the other shows what happens when a brand misreads its audience and barrels forward anyway.

Ralph Lauren: Cultural Fluency in Action

Ralph Lauren’s Oak Bluffs collection, launched in late July, was more than a capsule of clothing—it was a love letter to African American culture and heritage. Designed under the guidance of Polo Creative Director James M. Jeters, the brand’s first Black creative director, the campaign rooted itself in the history of Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, a historically Black enclave.

The collection didn’t just include Black representation; it celebrated lived experience. Collaborations with Morehouse and Spelman alumni, local historians, and institutions like The Cottagers Inc. added layers of credibility that no marketing memo could replicate. The clothing itself told stories—embroidered HBCU mascots, varsity jackets reflecting local histories, and a color palette evoking summers on Sea View Avenue. Ralph Lauren partnered with the culture rather than borrowing its aesthetics.

This deep cultural alignment translated into impact. While campaign-specific sales figures weren’t disclosed, Ralph Lauren stock reached all-time highs after the collection’s launch. Media coverage was overwhelmingly positive, not only from fashion glossies but also from Black media outlets and culture critics. Consumers praised the campaign for holding space for Black joy without flattening or commodifying it. Here, cultural fluency meant engaging the community in a meaningful way, reinforcing trust, and honoring tradition.

American Eagle: A Cautionary Tale

In stark contrast, American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney “Great Jeans” campaign became a lesson in what happens when cultural signals are ignored. The campaign, launched around the same time, aimed to appeal to Gen Z audiences with playful wordplay linking jeans and genetics: “My genes are blue.” Initially, the campaign seemed like typical social-first marketing: a polished starlet, a clever pun, and a nod to youth culture.

But context matters. Critics quickly noted troubling undertones, linking the tagline to eugenics rhetoric. Coupled with Sweeney’s blonde, blue-eyed appearance, the campaign was criticized for unintentionally evoking white supremacist imagery. TikTok, Reddit, and Discord threads exploded with critiques, parodies, and deep cultural unpacking. Even without malicious intent, the campaign triggered a red flag that could not be ignored.

What compounded the mistake was silence. American Eagle did not publicly address the controversy. Instead, it posted a carousel of images featuring a biracial model, seemingly hoping the firestorm would die down. It didn’t. Gen Z expects brands not only to understand culture but also to respond thoughtfully when missteps occur. Cultural ignorance—or the appearance of it—can cause irreparable damage.

Lessons in Cultural Listening

The contrast between these two campaigns underscores a key principle: proximity to culture is the differentiator. Ralph Lauren involved community voices from the outset, inviting historians, alumni, and residents to shape the narrative. American Eagle relied on boardroom brainstorming that lacked cultural insight. Virality without cultural fluency is a liability. In today’s pop culture-driven media landscape, symbols travel fast, and context spreads faster. Brands cannot afford to wing it.

Cultural fluency requires more than surface-level gestures. It is about giving back to the communities you depict. Oak Bluffs wasn’t just a campaign—it supported institutions preserving African American culture, included documentary storytelling, and celebrated real voices. American Eagle, by contrast, centered a single celebrity with no broader cultural context. The narrative was extractive rather than generative.

Research and ethnographic research show this distinction matters. Audiences are not passive; they evaluate campaigns through the lens of lived experience, history, and social awareness. The same message can be embraced by one group and rejected by another, depending on its cultural grounding. Understanding Latino culture, Asian culture, and the broader contours of American culture ensures campaigns are contextually appropriate and resonate authentically.

Why Cultural Fluency is a Competitive Advantage

Generational values are reshaping brand credibility. Gen Z and younger millennials want representation with intention. They expect brands to do the homework: to consider who is referenced, who is left out, and who benefits from the messaging. Brands that show up authentically gain loyalty, trust, and cultural capital. Those that don’t are exposed.

This principle applies across all communities. Engaging Latino culture requires understanding micro-communities, social media trends, and local traditions—not generic nods. For Asian culture, recognizing generational differences and subcultures is key. For African American culture, history, music, fashion, and politics inform consumer perception and brand reception. The brands that succeed are those that integrate these insights into campaign design and execution.

Practical Takeaways for Brands

1. Engage Communities Early: Involve cultural insiders in campaign planning, from concept to execution.

2. Invest in Ethnographic Research: Learn how audiences live, communicate, and define themselves beyond surface-level demographics.

3. Center Stories, Not Products: Campaigns should elevate lived experiences rather than just selling items.

4. Monitor Backchannels: Platforms like Discord, Reddit, WhatsApp, and TikTok often shape audience reception before public reviews or media coverage.

5. Respond with Authenticity: Missteps happen. Accountability and timely, sincere engagement can preserve brand credibility.

Conclusion

Ralph Lauren and American Eagle illustrate the stakes. Oak Bluffs succeeded because the brand listened, collaborated, and embedded itself in the cultural moment. Sydney Sweeney’s denim campaign faltered because it ignored context, relied on superficial celebrity appeal, and failed to anticipate how audiences interpret symbols and language.

In 2025, campaigns are conversations, not monologues. Every image, tagline, and visual is scrutinized for cultural meaning. Brands must operate with a deep understanding of pop culture, African American culture, Latino culture, Asian culture, and American culture, leveraging research and ethnographic research to guide decisions. Cultural fluency is no longer optional—it’s essential for relevance, resonance, and survival.

Brands that embrace it do more than sell products—they build trust, inspire loyalty, and participate meaningfully in the communities they serve. Those that ignore it risk backlash, lost credibility, and missed opportunities. Ralph Lauren’s Oak Bluffs campaign shows what’s possible when cultural listening is prioritized. American Eagle’s misstep reminds us why getting it right matters more than ever.

In today’s fast-moving cultural landscape, listening is everything. The brands that thrive aren’t just the loudest—they’re the ones who truly hear.