The Context

In the current advertising ecosystem, culture determines whether brands earn attention, trust, and loyalty.

TheJembe conducted a proprietary study of 500+ Black consumers to examine how culture shapes brand perception, advertising credibility, and emotional connection.

The Strategic Challenge

Brands often confuse visibility with relevance and controversy with engagement.

The American Eagle campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney became a flashpoint across digital culture, raising questions about representation, generational identity, and cultural fluency.

TheJembe sought to move beyond online debate and uncover how Black consumers actually perceived the campaign.

TheJembe Approach

We fielded a nationally representative cultural perception survey, designed to capture emotional response, trust dynamics, and authenticity evaluation.

This allowed us to measure:

• Cultural sensitivity expectations
• Representation impact
• Trust drivers
• Response to brand accountability

What We Uncovered

The results revealed critical cultural truths:

• Cultural awareness is now a baseline expectation, not a differentiator
• Creative teams must reflect cultural diversity, not just the final ad
• Authenticity matters more than polish
• Accountability strengthens brand trust

Only 11% found the campaign problematic, but nearly half emphasized the importance of cultural sensitivity, showing that brands are judged less on controversy and more on cultural credibility.

Strategic Implications

For brands, the findings pointed to four clear directives:

• Build culturally fluent creative teams
• Prioritize authenticity over spectacle
• Expect accountability
• Embed culture into strategy, not just storytelling

The Impact

The study positioned TheJembe as a leading authority on cultural perception, trust formation, and brand authenticity.

It now informs:

• Campaign development
• Creative vetting
• Influencer strategy
• Brand reputation management