The Marketing Brilliance Behind Gap’s Katseye Campaign

The collaboration Gap with Katseye, a rising global pop girl group, was launched in the form of a 90-second ad campaign video, which quickly went viral, reaching over 15 million viewers on Instagram. In the video, Katseye members wear Gap’s clothing while performing choreography set to the group’s track. There are no spoken lines or dialogue, making it accessible across languages and cultures. Instead, the focus is on music, movement, and visual storytelling.

Gap’s collaboration with Katseye is more than just a celebrity endorsement. It is a calculated alignment with cultural capital. Katseye is not only a girl group; they represent the rise of Gen Z driven pop culture that thrives on interactivity, authenticity, and digital-first engagement. By connecting with Katseye, Gap positions itself not as a traditional retailer pushing clothing, but as a participant in the cultural conversation. For decades, Gap has been a brand associated with classic Americana and basics, but in recent years, it has struggled to stay relevant among younger consumers. Collaborating with a group like Katseye infuses the brand with freshness and urgency. It says: we see you, we hear you, and we’re part of your world. That message resonates deeply with digital-native audiences who often view brands as out of touch.

Why Does the Campaign Resonate With Gen Z?

Gen Z, the primary demographic consuming Katseye’s content, doesn’t respond well to traditional hard-sell advertising. They crave experiences, relatability, and shareability. Gap’s campaign ticks all three boxes.

• Experiential: The choreography invites fans to join in. It’s not just an ad; it’s a challenge, a trend, and a digital performance they can replicate.

• Relatable: Katseye’s diverse lineup mirrors the values Gen Z prizes, representation, inclusivity, and global unity. Fans can see themselves reflected in the campaign.

• Shareable: With a 90-second runtime, the ad is perfectly optimised for platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Every share, repost, or duet pushes the campaign further into the digital consciousness.

In essence, the ad doesn’t feel like a sales pitch, it feels like part of the culture Gen Z already consumes.

The Subtle Genius of the Soundtrack

The campaign features the song Milkshake by Kellis, the repeated line, “It’s better than yours”, is more than just catchy. It is mnemonic advertising at its best. Each repetition cements the association between the song, the dance, and Gap’s products. By keeping the messaging abstract and musical instead of promotional, Gap sidesteps resistance from viewers who might otherwise ignore an overt sales pitch.

Moreover, music has always been central to memory and recall. Katseye’s fanbase will not only remember the song but will forever link that earworm to Gap’s branding. It’s the equivalent of a jingle in the age of TikTok.

Global Accessibility Through Simplicity

Gap’s decision to remove dialogue is a brilliant global strategy. Fashion campaigns often get bogged down by language barriers, subtitles, or culturally specific references. By relying solely on visuals and choreography, the campaign becomes instantly digestible to an international audience. This positions Gap’s products as borderless essentials, much like pop music itself. Fans all around the world can all watch, understand, and replicate the dance. This isn’t just marketing; it’s globalisation at work, packaged in 90 seconds.

The Virality Flywheel

The choreography going viral was not accidental, it was inevitable. Pop culture today thrives on repeatability. Katseye’s current single, Gnarly, already had a dance crase attached to it. By pairing their collaboration with choreography, Gap created what marketers call a virality flywheel:

• Fans watch the ad for Katseye.

• They replicate the dance to show off their fandom.

• Each post is free advertising for Gap.

• The repetition cements the brand association in the cultural zeitgeist.

• This cycle keeps running without additional ad spend. In fact, Gap’s audience is now doing the work for them, willingly creating user-generated content (UGC) that keeps Gap trending.

Brand Revitalisation Through Association

Gap has historically leaned on celebrity collaborations, think of its famous ads with Madonna, Missy Elliott, or Sarah Jessica Parker. But this one feels different. It’s not just about attaching a famous face; it’s about tapping into a living, breathing fandom. Katseye isn’t just popular; they’re interactive. Their fandom culture thrives on participation, streaming parties, dance covers, fan art. By entering this ecosystem, Gap revives its cultural relevancy in a way that traditional marketing could never achieve. Instead of shouting at consumers, Gap is dancing with them.

Community as the New Currency

The brilliance of this campaign is that it transforms community into currency. Fans who replicate the choreography online are not just spreading awareness, they’re reinforcing their own identity as part of both the Katseye fandom and the larger pop culture moment.

Every duet, challenge, or re-creation is a declaration: I belong here, and Gap is part of this belonging. This creates an emotional bridge between the brand and its consumers. And in today’s crowded retail market, emotional connection is what drives long-term loyalty.

The Bigger Picture

In 2025, marketing isn’t about who shouts the loudest, it’s about who creates the most shareable moment. Gap’s collaboration with Katseye proves that fashion advertising can transcend products and become cultural phenomena. By aligning with a global girl group, stripping away language, and embedding the ad in dance culture, Gap has engineered a campaign that feels less like a commercial and more like a moment of pop culture history.

The brilliance lies in how little it feels like advertising at all. Instead, it feels like something fans want to engage with, something they’re proud to replicate, share, and remix. That’s the kind of organic reach most brands dream of.

Key Lessons for Marketers

• Lean into Pop Culture: Don’t just borrow fame, tap into movements that thrive on participation.

• Keep it Simple: No dialogue, no heavy slogans. Music, visuals, and movement transcend barriers.

• Encourage UGC: Make the audience part of the campaign so it sustains itself.

• Highlight Inclusivity: Representation is not a trend; it’s a requirement for connecting with Gen Z.

• Think Global: Build campaigns that travel across borders without translation.