American Eagle Outfitters advertising spend, FY2026

American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) reported $251M of advertising expense for the fiscal year ended Jan 31, 2026. That is 4.5% of revenue of $5.5B. Up 21.8% from FY2025.

Ad spend, FY2026
$251M
year ended Jan 31, 2026
Change vs prior year
+21.8%
vs FY2025
Share of revenue
4.5%
of $5.5B revenue
Rank by ad spend
#193
of 336 companies

Key facts

  • Ad spend is 2.4x its FY2016 level ($104M).
  • FY2026 is the highest year on file, going back to FY2010.
  • Largest increase +35.3% in FY2013; largest cut -3.3% in FY2014.
  • Ad spend has risen 5 years in a row.
  • Ad spend is 4.5% of revenue, up from 4.0% in FY2021.
  • American Eagle Outfitters spends more on advertising than 43% of the 336 US-listed companies tracked. Its ad-to-revenue ratio is below the median of 5.2%.

Ad spend by fiscal year

$0 $100M $200M $300M FY2010 (ended 2010-01-30): $60.9M FY2011 (ended 2011-01-29): $60.7M 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-01-28): $66.5M FY2013 (ended 2013-02-02): $90M FY2014 (ended 2014-02-01): $87M 2014 FY2015 (ended 2015-01-31): $94.2M FY2016 (ended 2016-01-30): $104M FY2017 (ended 2017-01-28): $125M 2017 FY2018 (ended 2018-02-03): $130M FY2019 (ended 2019-02-02): $143M FY2020 (ended 2020-02-01): $152M 2020 FY2021 (ended 2021-01-30): $150M FY2022 (ended 2022-01-29): $174M FY2023 (ended 2023-01-28): $175M 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-02-03): $187M FY2025 (ended 2025-02-01): $206M FY2026 (ended 2026-01-31): $251M 2026 $251M

Ad spend as % of revenue

0% 2% 4% 6% FY2010 (ended 2010-01-30): n/a FY2011 (ended 2011-01-29): n/a 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-01-28): n/a FY2013 (ended 2013-02-02): n/a FY2014 (ended 2014-02-01): n/a 2014 FY2015 (ended 2015-01-31): n/a FY2016 (ended 2016-01-30): n/a FY2017 (ended 2017-01-28): 3.4% 2017 FY2018 (ended 2018-02-03): 3.4% FY2019 (ended 2019-02-02): 3.5% FY2020 (ended 2020-02-01): 3.5% 2020 FY2021 (ended 2021-01-30): 4.0% FY2022 (ended 2022-01-29): 3.5% FY2023 (ended 2023-01-28): 3.5% 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-02-03): 3.6% FY2025 (ended 2025-02-01): 3.9% FY2026 (ended 2026-01-31): 4.5% 2026 4.5%

History

Download CSV
Fiscal year Period end Ad spend YoY Revenue Ad / revenue Tag Filing
FY2026 Jan 31, 2026 $251M +21.8% $5.5B 4.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2026
FY2025 Feb 1, 2025 $206M +10.4% $5.3B 3.9% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2026
FY2024 Feb 3, 2024 $187M +6.7% $5.3B 3.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2026
FY2023 Jan 28, 2023 $175M +0.9% $5B 3.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 20, 2025
FY2022 Jan 29, 2022 $174M +15.7% $5B 3.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 15, 2024
FY2021 Jan 30, 2021 $150M -1.0% $3.8B 4.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 13, 2023
FY2020 Feb 1, 2020 $152M +5.8% $4.3B 3.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 14, 2022
FY2019 Feb 2, 2019 $143M +10.3% $4B 3.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 11, 2021
FY2018 Feb 3, 2018 $130M +4.3% $3.8B 3.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 12, 2020
FY2017 Jan 28, 2017 $125M +19.6% $3.6B 3.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 14, 2019
FY2016 Jan 30, 2016 $104M +10.5% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 16, 2018
FY2015 Jan 31, 2015 $94.2M +8.3% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 10, 2017
FY2014 Feb 1, 2014 $87M -3.3% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 10, 2016
FY2013 Feb 2, 2013 $90M +35.3% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 11, 2015
FY2012 Jan 28, 2012 $66.5M +9.6% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 13, 2014
FY2011 Jan 29, 2011 $60.7M -0.3% n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 12, 2013
FY2010 Jan 30, 2010 $60.9M n/a n/a n/a AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 15, 2012

What the figure is

Advertising costs as disclosed in the annual report (XBRL tag AdvertisingExpense).

Compared with similar spenders

The 6 companies closest to American Eagle Outfitters in latest-year ad spend.

Rank Company Ad spend Ad / revenue YoY Fiscal year
189 Remitly Global $255M 15.6% +13.2% FY2025
190 Bath & Body Works $255M 3.5% +5.4% FY2026
191 Optimum Communications $253M 2.9% -3.9% FY2025
192 S&P Global $252M 1.6% +10.0% FY2025
193 American Eagle Outfitters $251M 4.5% +21.8% FY2026
194 United Airlines $250M 0.4% +6.4% FY2025
195 Oddity Tech $246M 30.3% +49.5% FY2025

Full ranking of 336 companies · Biggest increases #68 · Up 5+ years in a row #62

Questions

How much does American Eagle Outfitters spend on advertising?

American Eagle Outfitters spent $251M on advertising in fiscal 2026, the year ended Jan 31, 2026, according to its 10-K filed Mar 30, 2026.

What percentage of revenue does American Eagle Outfitters spend on advertising?

4.5% of revenue in fiscal 2026 ($251M of $5.5B). The median across the 336 companies tracked is 5.2%.

Is American Eagle Outfitters spending more on advertising?

Yes. Ad spend rose 21.8% in fiscal 2026 from fiscal 2025. It has risen 5 years in a row.

How does American Eagle Outfitters rank by advertising spend?

#193 of 336 US-listed companies with $100M or more in ad spend, ranked on each company's latest fiscal year.

What does American Eagle Outfitters's advertising figure include?

Advertising costs as disclosed in the annual report (XBRL tag AdvertisingExpense).

Source

Filing
10-K for FY2026, filed Mar 30, 2026
Accession number
0001193125-26-132097
Company
AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS INC, CIK 919012, SIC 5651 (Retail-Family Clothing Stores)
Data
SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts, retrieved Nov 4, 2026. Methodology.
Cite
American Eagle Outfitters advertising spend, FY2010-FY2026. Aleksei Trudov, io.trudov.com, from SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts (latest: 10-K filed Mar 30, 2026), retrieved Nov 4, 2026. https://io.trudov.com/company/american-eagle-outfitters/advertising-spend/
Download
CSV, all years · CSV, all 336 companies