CollegeHumor Creates Breakout American Eagle Ad—for a Fake Product

Site rejiggers business around branded entertainment videos that are actually good

Brands as publishers, native advertising, branded entertainment. Sometimes digital advertising sounds like a bad joke. But when done well, it can be the funniest stuff on the Web. As long as brands leave it to the professionals.

Take this week’s April Fools video from American Eagle Outfitters. The clip, produced by IAC's CollegeHumor (with help from Arnold Worldwide), showed real shoppers being ambushed by sales folks peddling spray-on skinny jeans. That clip followed up on a bogus commercial for “skinny skinny” —i.e.,

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