Coachella and the start of festival season are finally here! And for the rest of us, Couchella is in full force, watching the shows via a livestream and seeing what zany brand activations are happening. 

Some of my favorite pop-ups are from brands really leaning into bright, fun, colorful aesthetics and moving away from the muted tones of the past few years. Neutrogena showing off blinged products is one way to lean into the bedazzling makeup trend, and Starbucks's activation seemed like a throwback to when we used the Snapchat vomiting rainbow filter (in a good way). 

Coachella’s always a good reminder of how brands and music can work together. And lately, more brands are leaning into creating music video ads, using nostalgic songs and new artists to appeal to both young and older generations. Nostalgia for the early aughts and the ‘90s is at an all-time high, and these music video ads are capitalizing on that feeling.

One brand that’s doing it well? Gap. While the 2005 ad featuring Lenny Kravitz and Sarah Jessica Parker feels far away, the company is still nailing these music moments. It also doesn’t hurt that consumers are really into vintage Gap right now.

Gap’s Better in Denim campaign with KATSEYE went viral for all the right reasons, including using the 2003 hit song “Milkshake” by Kelis. Gap kept the momentum going on social media, releasing behind-the-scenes clips, including a tutorial to learn some of the dance moves used in the ad. 

The campaign reached 8 billion media impressions and more than 500 million views across social platforms, according to Marketing Dive. Last month, Gap released yet another music video ad with Young Miko and her hit song “WASSUP.” 

Sure, companies have always used hit songs in ads. But right now, it’s more about using “old” hits to scratch that nostalgia itch.

Hollister released a music video ad in April with singer-songwriter Gigi Perez, who performs a cover of Green Day’s “Good Riddance.” The video is part of the company’s ongoing music efforts (they hosted a music festival in 2024) to reach a Gen Z audience. 

Like Gap, Hollister went beyond the ad and held a “Time of Your Life” event at a few stores with keychains and photo booths for customers. On social media, Hollister also released behind-the-scenes footage of filming the ad and other content with Perez. 

It doesn’t have to be so serious either. Megan Thee Stallion and Nickelback made a remix of “How You Remind Me” for the return of Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle. An odd pairing, but then again so is a Cheeto-and-dill-pickle flavor. 

Another recent musical moment came from NASA. During the 10-day mission, the official NASA account let the world know how Mission Control woke up the crew, playing songs by Chappell Roan and John Legend. An official Spotify playlist was made available and posted on social media.

That’s the key part to these ads isn’t it? The 360-degree approach. You can share the video on YouTube, air it on TV, but the social moments keep the virality and connection going. The BTS content kept people intrigued about how it came about, while Hollister’s IRL pop-up gave people another chance to post about the company’s clothing collection tied to the music video. On NASA’s Instagram post about the playlist, brands left fun comments, latching onto the moment without making it about them. 

The whole point of these ads is to use music as more than just a background song to showcase a product. It’s about creating those scroll-stopping moments that make someone want to share a post because it made them feel a certain way. 

Marketing is something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right—if you manage to break through the plethora of content and make people have warm, fuzzy feelings about an ad.

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