American Eagle has introduced a nationwide creator ambassador program designed to move beyond traditional one-off campaign structures, according to Marketing Dive. The AE Creator Community offers creators a points-based rewards system for regularly promoting and engaging with the brand.

How the Program Works

The program allows creators to earn points by completing weekly and monthly challenges, such as posting styling videos or sharing Instagram stories featuring American Eagle products. 

Creators receive $1 for every 1,000 points accumulated, which can be redeemed for products, gift cards, affiliate commissions, exclusive discounts, and opportunities to appear on American Eagle’s owned channels.

Applications are open to U.S. consumers aged 18 and older with more than 1,000 followers on at least one social media platform. The program aims to be American Eagle’s largest creator community to date, according to Marketing Dive.

Expanding Beyond Celebrity Campaigns

The initiative builds on American Eagle’s Live Your Life Affiliate Community, launched last spring. While the retailer has gained attention with recent celebrity campaigns featuring Travis Kelce, Martha Stewart, and Sydney Sweeney, the AE Creator Community targets broad-scale participation, including microinfluencers.

“The more they create, the more they earn, and the more visible they become in the AE community,” the announcement reads. “In short, participation and creativity are rewarded just as much as reach.”

The launch follows similar moves by other retailers establishing creator marketplaces. Macy’s expanded its Style Crew affiliate marketing program in January, aiming to reach 1,000 members. Sephora launched My Sephora Storefront last fall.

The program includes forums for creator interaction and allows participants to provide product feedback that could inform future launches, according to the program’s website.

Multi-Channel Strategy

American Eagle continues expanding its creator marketing beyond social media. The brand launched a Substack newsletter, “Off the Cuff,” in May 2025 and discussed its influencer strategy at the National Retail Federation’s “Big Show” this January.

“We know that influencers, for all of our brands, are representative of who our customer is. That’s the most important piece,” said Ashley Schapiro, VP of Marketing, Media, Performance, and Engagement at American Eagle, during a panel at the conference. “For us, it’s finding that balance between aspirational and inspirational, which all of our partners really do share.”

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