🌸The internet’s wild sometimes.

One minute we’re talking about Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad and arguing about “genes” vs “jeans”…

Next minute, Gap drops a remix of Milkshake with a global girl group and suddenly everyone’s like, “Wait, this is how you do a denim campaign.”

As someone who works in branding, I can’t not notice these moments.
Two legacy brands. Two denim drops. Completely different outcomes.

What struck me wasn’t just the creative.
It was the timing.
Gap’s campaign hit right when the internet was still side-eyeing AE’s misstep.
Without saying a single word, Gap positioned themselves as the opposite: joyful, nostalgic, and inclusive.

And here’s the thing most people miss:
That kind of brand move isn’t luck.
It’s strategy.

Let’s break it down.

The Campaign That Put Gap Back in the Conversation

Gap just launched its fall 2025 campaign, Better in Denim, and people can’t stop talking about it.

The ad stars Katseye, a global girl group formed in 2023 through the reality competition Dream Academy. Between their 22 million followers and upcoming world tour, they’re one of the buzziest acts Gen Z is watching right now.

And served up a remix of Kelis’ early 2000s hit Milkshake. The whole thing is dripping in Y2K nostalgia: low-rise denim, jazz funk choreography, and a very intentional nod to Gap’s original dance-driven ads. 

Behind the flash, there’s a real strategy.
The ad was timed right before Katseye’s “Beautiful Chaos” tour, giving Gap a perfect runway into Gen Z hearts. And instead of centering one star, they leaned into collective energy. The cast is diverse, the movement builds, and the spot ends as a kind of visual metaphor: more people joining the dance, more people feeling included.

There’s also smart product placement:
Gap is relaunching their iconic Long & Lean jeans, plus a limited-edition Katseye hoodie that’s only available for pre-order. No fake scarcity. No overhype. Just a clean link between story, nostalgia, and product.

They’re rolling this campaign out everywhere: social, email, Times Square, even influencer tie-ins. It’s a full-on orchestrated moment, and people are noticing. Not just because it’s catchy.

But because of what it wasn’t:
It didn’t try too hard.
It didn’t get political.
It didn’t make people argue.

It made people smile. Dance. Want jeans again.

CMO Fabiola Torres summed it up perfectly:

“Katseye represents a new wave of global talent, diverse in background, perspective, and influence. They’re more than a pop group; they’re digital-native creators and emerging style leaders with a powerful, highly engaged fanbase.”

Gap Just Gave Every Brand a Masterclass in Timing

Here’s the part I can’t stop thinking about: this exact campaign, if it had dropped a month ago, would have just been a cute throwback.
But right now? Coming right after American Eagle’s messy “genes vs jeans” fiasco?
It lands like a perfectly-timed clapback.

That’s the power of timing.

American Eagle went all-in on one star, one pun, one risky creative bet—and it blew up in their face. Gap, on the other hand, doubled down on nostalgia, music, and collective energy. The result? One ad sparks controversy. The other sparks joy.

This is what I call category counter-programming.
When a competitor stumbles, the smartest move isn’t to shout about it. It’s to quietly do the opposite, and let the audience connect the dots.

Gap didn’t need to drag American Eagle. They just had to remind people of what feels good about denim. Movement. Togetherness. Style that makes you want to get up and dance.

It’s fun. It’s fresh. And compared to AE’s tone-deaf rollout?
It’s a clapback without the clap.

The R.E.M.I.X. Playbook

So how do you actually pull off a campaign like this?

Here’s the checklist I like to use: I call it the R.E.M.I.X. Playbook.

Let’s break down how Gap nailed each piece:

R – Relevance
Y2K fashion has been creeping back into closets for a while now, but on TikTok it’s basically its own universe. Low-rise jeans, baby tees, cargo skirts, all the things millennials swore we’d never wear again are suddenly getting millions of views. Gap didn’t have to invent a trend. They just stepped into one that Gen Z already owned. 

And the timing wasn’t random: dropping the campaign right before Katseye’s “Beautiful Chaos” world tour gives it even more cultural fuel.

Ask yourself:
What’s trending in your space right now? What are your customers already watching, sharing, or talking about?

→ Example: “Our audience is obsessed with retro home workouts and low-fi aesthetics right now.”

E – Emotion
This ad made people feel something.
The choreography builds, the energy lifts, and by the end, you want to get up and move with them.
There’s a sense of joy, confidence, and shared movement, not manufactured “cool,” but actual connection.

Ask yourself:
What do you want your audience to feel when they see your content or walk into your space?

→ Example: “We want people to feel energized and playful, like they’re part of something fun and nostalgic.”

M – Memory
Kelis’ Milkshake. The Long & Lean jeans. The dance-led format of Gap’s old-school ads.
They pulled just enough from the past to spark recognition, but gave it a fresh face.
It wasn’t stuck in nostalgia. It used nostalgia to move forward.

Ask yourself:
What’s something from your brand’s past (or your industry’s past) you can bring back and refresh?

→ Example: “We had a best-selling product in 2021 that we can bring back as a ‘vault’ drop.”

I – Inclusion
Katseye isn’t just another Western pop group. They’re made up of six women from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, and the U.S.
Their performance blends jazz funk and hip hop, with more dancers joining in throughout the spot, a literal visual metaphor for people coming together.
It doesn’t scream “diversity!” It just is diverse, and it feels real.

Ask yourself:
How can you make your audience feel seen, involved, or part of the experience?

→ Example: “We’ll feature real customers in our campaign instead of models, and spotlight their stories.”

X – Execution
And this wasn’t just a one-off spot. Gap tied the creative to a product launch, a limited-edition drop, a global tour, and then pushed it across every channel they own. That’s what makes it sticky: it lives beyond the ad.

Ask yourself:
What’s the one thing you want to sell, spotlight, or drive people toward? And where will they see it?

→ Example: “We’re launching our new program and will tease it across email, IG Reels, and a waitlist countdown.”

‍

Gap isn’t the only one doing this.

2025 has been a year of brand remixing across the board, from global giants to heritage names quietly reshaping their playbook. And when you zoom out, you start to see the same pattern. The same formula. The same rhythm.

Brands aren’t reinventing themselves.
They’re remembering who they are, and remixing it for today.

Nike is quietly pulling attention back to the court, the track, the field, the places where it all started. Less lifestyle, more performance. 

Jordan, celebrating its 40th anniversary, is leaning hard into nostalgic storytelling. Highlight reels. Archive footage. Emotional callbacks to game-changing moments. 

Levi’s keeps expanding “The Greatest Story Ever Worn,” tapping real histories from the archive to fuel new chapters and drops. Memory turned into a content engine. 

Adidas Originals is running “The Original” for Spring–Summer 2025, shifting from pure legacy talk to inspiring the next generation.

McDonald, from Snack Wrap returns to a full McDonaldland push, the brand is turning retro cues into real demand with limited drops and platformed rollouts. New golden sauce, and collectible meals.

Even Brawny  (yes, paper towels) just rebranded their iconic lumberjack. Less hypermasculine, more approachable. A subtle shift, but one that reflects what their audience expects from “strength” today. Familiar, but refreshed.

All of them passed the R.E.M.I.X. filter

So here’s what I’ll leave you with:

2025 is your permission slip to remix your brand, not reinvent it.

Find that archival cue, that brand DNA, that emotional core. Remix it with today’s audience and tech. Drop it with intention. And let the moment do the rest.

‍

Peace,

Pik

‍