- Old Navy’s campaign blends nostalgia and modernity, pairing Lindsay Lohan with Gen Z influencers for multi-demo appeal.
- The retro theme is more than aesthetic—it’s a strategy to tap cultural memory while keeping messaging fun and fitness-forward.
- The campaign is part of a broader activewear growth play, helping Old Navy solidify its rising position in a booming category.
- Influencer casting was strategic, not surface-level, matching talent with audience psychographics and cultural context.
- Creative tone and channel integration (TikTok, Pinterest, Meta, premium video) ensure omnichannel performance.
- The real strategy isn’t fashion—it’s emotional alignment with customers' identities, routines, and pop culture memory.
By pairing nostalgia with generational reach, Old Navy repositions itself in the competitive activewear space—one high-kick at a time.
Old Navy isn’t just selling leggings, it’s staging a cultural reset. With the launch of its new campaign, “Old Navy, New Moves,” the brand is doing more than pushing product; it’s orchestrating a timely fusion of celebrity nostalgia, multi-generational influencer strategy, and category reinvention.
At the center of it all? Lindsay Lohan, the millennial icon who’s making a full-blown comeback in entertainment and now fashion marketing. She stars alongside Gen Z influencers Quen Blackwell and Dylan Efron in a 30-second hero spot modeled after ‘80s workout tapes—complete with pastel aerobics gear, VHS aesthetics, and a bouncy soundtrack by Devo.
By pairing a millennial comeback queen with Gen Z-native creators, Old Navy compresses two decades of pop culture into a single frame. That lets one spot speak to parents who grew up on Mean Girls and teens glued to TikTok—no need for separate ads, budgets, or brand voices.
But behind the lighthearted tone is a serious strategic play: reposition Old Navy as a major player in the booming activewear space, and do it by bridging cultural eras.
A Campaign That Works Across Generations
The casting is no accident. Lohan brings millennial nostalgia to its peak, aligning with parents who grew up on Mean Girls and are now Old Navy’s core customers.
Meanwhile, Quen Blackwell and Dylan Efron bring social-native relevance, giving the campaign visibility and authenticity with younger audiences on TikTok and Instagram.
The result? A campaign with built-in cultural resonance. Millennials get the wink to their formative pop culture years. Gen Z gets influencers they already follow. And Old Navy gets engagement across demos without splitting its messaging or voice.
“It’s culturally relevant marketing that’s really speaking to the brand playbook,” said Gap Inc. President & CEO Richard Dickson on the company’s Q1 earnings call.
Reframing Activewear Through Pop Culture
“Old Navy, New Moves” isn’t just promoting a product—it’s redefining the product’s context. For years, Old Navy was best known for family basics and affordable essentials. With this campaign, the brand positions its activewear not as performance-first, but fun-first—versatile, stylish, and energetic without being intimidating.
The creative treatment leans into retro fitness culture not just for aesthetics, but to reframe activewear as something expressive and inclusive. Whether you're a hot Pilates mom, a Zoom-era millennial, or a Gen Z college student with five tabs open and five things to do—Old Navy’s message is simple: this is movement gear for your version of active.
And it’s landing. Lohan’s red PowerSoft set from the spot went viral on social and sold for under $50, creating an earned media loop where the ad drove interest, and the influencer-fueled fandom drove conversion.
Activewear Rebrand Meets Business Growth
Beyond the celebrity-driven content, there’s a clear business strategy. Activewear is now Old Navy’s fastest-growing category, helping it achieve its ninth consecutive quarter of market share gains, according to the company’s earnings report. Comparable sales rose 3% YoY in Q1 2025, with activewear performance singled out as a key contributor.
The campaign is the first major investment in the activewear category in years, and comes just months after a successful occasion dress campaign that broke social engagement records. This shows a pattern: Old Navy is using culture-first creative to fuel category growth in key verticals—and it’s working.
Influencer Casting as Strategy, Not Just Aesthetic
Old Navy’s decision to pair a pop icon with digital-native talent reflects a broader shift in how brands are using influencer collaborations: not for reach alone, but for cross-generational storytelling. Lohan isn’t just famous—she’s emotionally relevant. Blackwell isn’t just trendy—she’s platform-native. Efron isn’t just a fitness face—he bridges aspirational and approachable.
This approach ensures the campaign lands on TikTok and Instagram without feeling like a brand crash-landing into a youth conversation. The humor, pacing, and styling make it feel naturally shareable, while the casting provides organic distribution through talent-owned channels.
Lessons for Marketers
There’s more to New Moves than nostalgia and leggings. It’s a campaign that reflects what smart brands are doing today:
- Use celebrity strategically—not just for attention, but for emotional context. Lohan brings brand recall and personal relevance.
- Cross-demo storytelling is possible when you cast for archetypes, not just age brackets. One campaign can speak to parents, teens, and young professionals if the message is human enough.
- Rebrands are more effective when they show, not tell. Old Navy didn’t announce it was refreshing its activewear line. It simply embedded that message in fun, culturally attuned creative.
- Make functional fashion aspirational—but familiar. Affordability doesn’t mean bland. The campaign strikes a balance between utility and cool.
Where Culture and Category Meet
With “Old Navy, New Moves,” the brand has pulled off a rare feat: using influencer marketing to redefine a product, rather than just promote one. It’s a model that blends timely celebrity resurgence, platform-savvy creators, and pop-culture storytelling to create emotional relevance and commercial success.
For marketers, it’s a reminder that campaigns that move culture don’t always need to go high-concept. Sometimes, all it takes is a familiar face, a catchy beat, and a pair of leggings worth dancing in.
