Jennifer Hudson stars in Old Navy’s latest holiday campaign

Dive Brief:

Emphasizing seasonal fashions at affordable prices, Old Navy is turning up the heat this season with a glitzy party-driven ad campaign featuring singer Jennifer Hudson and a cast of whimsical characters celebrating holiday style.
The campaign, dubbed “Love is in the House,” features the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award-winner singing and partying inside an Old Navy holiday home, and it coincides with the release of Hudson’s first holiday album, “The Gift of Love.”
The campaign features such styles as metallic denim, festive sweaters, puffer coats and fleece zip-ups. Spots will air across cinema, social platforms, primetime networks and such streaming services as Bravo, HGTV, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ and during 34 NFL games, including on Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.

Dive Insight:

Some of the ad’s house party guests include dancer and influencer Lexee Smith; dancer and choreographer, Raphael "The Sandman" Thomas; nine-year-old dancer Brody Hudson Schaffer, also known as Boss Baby Brody; and Old Navy's Magic the Dog.

"It was a dream come true to work with Jennifer Hudson and see her sparkle in our new shine denim,” Zac Posen, Gap Inc.’s creative director and Old Navy’s chief creative officer, said in a statement. "When we learned that Jennifer Hudson was launching her first-ever holiday album, we thought, now is the time to collaborate with an EGOT winner to spread joy in our ‘Love is in the House’ holiday campaign."

In the campaign, Hudson sings her version of “Winter Wonderland”, which is featured on her new album.

Retailers have been pulling out all the stops with holiday marketing campaigns intended to cut through the noise.

Urban Outfitters last week launched a social-focused holiday campaign featuring TikTok personality Lubalin. J.C. Penney launched their holiday campaign earlier this month, targeting working families and dovetailing off the retailer’s “Make It Count” brand positioning, which highlights affordability, loyalty, community and positivity. And Walmart debuted a sentimental seasonal campaign around the theme of gift-giving to loved ones in a nostalgic 60-second spot directed by “Sideways” filmmaker Alexander Payne.