{"id":188,"date":"2026-05-04T10:41:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T14:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/?p=188"},"modified":"2026-05-04T10:41:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T14:41:51","slug":"markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/","title":{"rendered":"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Economics is a social science concerned with how resources are allocated under different scenarios. A foundational principle is \u201cde gustibus non est disputandum,\u201d which roughly translates to \u201cone should not argue over matters of taste.\u201d In other words, economists don\u2019t make scientific judgments about consumer preferences. If people want more strawberries and fewer bananas, economists don\u2019t ask whether that\u2019s good or bad. Economists simply analyze how the change in preferences affects various markets.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Most goods are multi-dimensional. Consumers value products not just for utility but for attributes like style, comfort, and symbolism. Clothing, in particular, serves as both function and expression.\u00a0For example, a pair of blue jeans may vary in style, fit, comfort, and durability.\u00a0Marketers understand this well, crafting products and campaigns to resonate with their target audiences.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Enter American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) and actress Sydney Sweeney. AEO launched a campaign featuring Sweeney modeling their jeans under the tagline \u201cSydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,\u201d\u00a0a play on genetics and denim.\u00a0Genes-Jeans. Get the pun?\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ssJF-UXDJLc\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Calvin Klein ran a similar campaign with heartthrob Brooke Shields in 1980, which similarly blurred the line between fashion and genetics.<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The public\u2019s\u00a0reaction was swift and polarized. Critics argued the campaign\u00a0disparaged\u00a0previous models who represented\u00a0different\u00a0body types, appearances, and identities. Accusations ranged from fat-shaming and racism to tone-deafness and fascism. Some called for a boycott. Others celebrated the campaign as a rejection of \u201cwoke\u201d marketing and a return to\u00a0normalcy in\u00a0advertising, pledging to support the brand more enthusiastically.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559731&quot;:720}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">One way\u00a0to assess which\u00a0narrative\u00a0prevails is by considering its impact on\u00a0AEO\u2019s bottom line. Stock prices, after all, are forward-looking indicators.\u00a0July 21<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">st<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, two days before the campaign launched, AEO traded at $9.92 per share. At the time of writing, it\u2019s up\u00a023.6.5% to $12.26. Over the same period, the S&amp;P 500\u00a0declined\u00a00.1%.\u00a0The stock price may react differently in the future\u00a0for any number of reasons, but for now, it reflects investor expectations about how consumers will respond.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559731&quot;:720}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Economics doesn\u2019t tell us whether this is good or bad, nor does it take sides. But it does\u00a0suggest\u00a0that\u00a0share\u00a0prices send signals.\u00a0If consumers reward AEO with higher sales and investors respond with higher valuations, that\u2019s a market verdict. If\u00a0consumers\u00a0punish\u00a0AEO with\u00a0lower\u00a0sales and investors respond with\u00a0lower\u00a0valuations, that\u2019s a market verdict\u00a0too.\u00a0Economics doesn\u2019t judge the goals people pursue;\u00a0it analyzes\u00a0the impacts of their pursuits.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559731&quot;:720}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Economics is a social science concerned with how resources are allocated under different scenarios. A foundational principle is \u201cde gustibus non est disputandum,\u201d which roughly translates to \u201cone should not argue over matters of taste.\u201d In other words, economists don\u2019t make scientific judgments about consumer preferences. If people want more strawberries and fewer bananas, economists [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[462,1639],"tags":[1505,1681,1684,1232,1680,1685,1343,1686,1683,1682],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microeconomics","category-social","tag-advertising","tag-american-eagle-outfitters","tag-branding","tag-consumer-behavior","tag-consumer-preferences","tag-de-gustibus-non-est-disputandum","tag-market-signals","tag-product-differentiation","tag-stock-prices","tag-sydney-sweeney"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz - Econ Briefs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz - Econ Briefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Economics is a social science concerned with how resources are allocated under different scenarios. A foundational principle is \u201cde gustibus non est disputandum,\u201d which roughly translates to \u201cone should not argue over matters of taste.\u201d In other words, economists don\u2019t make scientific judgments about consumer preferences. If people want more strawberries and fewer bananas, economists [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Econ Briefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-04T14:41:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"christianhartselle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"christianhartselle\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"christianhartselle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/53f4e0b981fd42f34cbb306b9ad62622\"},\"headline\":\"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-04T14:41:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":426,\"commentCount\":0,\"keywords\":[\"advertising\",\"American Eagle Outfitters\",\"branding\",\"consumer behavior\",\"consumer preferences\",\"de gustibus non est disputandum\",\"market signals\",\"product differentiation\",\"stock prices\",\"Sydney Sweeney\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Microeconomics\",\"Social\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/\",\"name\":\"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz - Econ Briefs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-04T14:41:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/53f4e0b981fd42f34cbb306b9ad62622\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/04\\\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/\",\"name\":\"Econ Briefs\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/53f4e0b981fd42f34cbb306b9ad62622\",\"name\":\"christianhartselle\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/99dffdd2c9bd490eefa22ed0b6d8d8a277b0368e88948df516427d91d6bf8ea5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/99dffdd2c9bd490eefa22ed0b6d8d8a277b0368e88948df516427d91d6bf8ea5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/99dffdd2c9bd490eefa22ed0b6d8d8a277b0368e88948df516427d91d6bf8ea5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"christianhartselle\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/people.bsu.edu\\\/econbriefs\\\/author\\\/christianhartselle\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz - Econ Briefs","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz - Econ Briefs","og_description":"Economics is a social science concerned with how resources are allocated under different scenarios. A foundational principle is \u201cde gustibus non est disputandum,\u201d which roughly translates to \u201cone should not argue over matters of taste.\u201d In other words, economists don\u2019t make scientific judgments about consumer preferences. If people want more strawberries and fewer bananas, economists [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/","og_site_name":"Econ Briefs","article_published_time":"2026-05-04T14:41:51+00:00","author":"christianhartselle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"christianhartselle","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/"},"author":{"name":"christianhartselle","@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/#\/schema\/person\/53f4e0b981fd42f34cbb306b9ad62622"},"headline":"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz","datePublished":"2026-05-04T14:41:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/"},"wordCount":426,"commentCount":0,"keywords":["advertising","American Eagle Outfitters","branding","consumer behavior","consumer preferences","de gustibus non est disputandum","market signals","product differentiation","stock prices","Sydney Sweeney"],"articleSection":["Microeconomics","Social"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/","url":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/","name":"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz - Econ Briefs","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-04T14:41:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/#\/schema\/person\/53f4e0b981fd42f34cbb306b9ad62622"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/2026\/05\/04\/markets-dont-judge-what-aeos-campaign-reveals-by-dr-cecil-bohanon-and-dr-john-horowitz\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Markets Don\u2019t Judge: What AEO\u2019s Campaign Reveals\u2013 by Dr. Cecil Bohanon and Dr. John Horowitz"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/","name":"Econ Briefs","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/#\/schema\/person\/53f4e0b981fd42f34cbb306b9ad62622","name":"christianhartselle","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/99dffdd2c9bd490eefa22ed0b6d8d8a277b0368e88948df516427d91d6bf8ea5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/99dffdd2c9bd490eefa22ed0b6d8d8a277b0368e88948df516427d91d6bf8ea5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/99dffdd2c9bd490eefa22ed0b6d8d8a277b0368e88948df516427d91d6bf8ea5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"christianhartselle"},"url":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/author\/christianhartselle\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.bsu.edu\/econbriefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}