Old Navy's New Ad Was Written by Commenters on TikTok

In a tuneful TikTok post last November, high-school senior Samuel Beasley promised, “We about to get the most fire Old Navy commercial ever.”

The Martin Agency saw Beasley’s video and based a fresh commercial for the clothing brand on the nearly 1,500 comments it generated.

Here is Beasley’s original clip, with funky beats by Bruno Mars & Anderson.Paak & Silk Sonic:

@thesamuelbeez Album of the year #silksonic #brunomars #andersonpaak ♬ Fly As Me – Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak & Silk Sonic

The resulting :60 from Old Navy features “Good Morning,” Max Frost’s sunny spring-time groove:

You’ll notice actual suggestions from commenters on Beasley’s post pop up frequently, timed to corresponding visuals:

• “Main character walking down a city street and high-fiving all the city locals, including some kids doing hopscotch, and an old bodega owner.”
• “Dads. Dancing. Everywhere.”
• “All white background with close-up shots.”
• “And they’re going to be dancing with every piece of their souls you just know it.”
• “Slow-mo family jump.”
• “Don’t forget the logo!”

All of which adds up to … fire?

It almost feels like a send-up of commercial tropes, with scenes viewers expect to see from Old Navy or similar retailers (informed, no doubt, by watching countless ads in the first place). Which makes the spot, titled “Written by the Internet,” super-self-referential, in-joke brandtastic and meta to the max. Or something. It’s cheerful, that’s for sure.

Sammy B., how’d it go down?

“When I first received the message request from Old Navy on Instagram to let me know that they saw my TikTok, my initial thought was, ‘This isn’t real,’ ” Beasley tells Muse. “I actually didn’t think my video would get any views. When I checked back a few hours later, it had thousands of views and comments.”

He adds: “It’s really cool that I am influencing a commercial, and that Old Navy is enabling people to put their influence into their commercials. It’s cool to see all of that come together so nicely.”

Copywriter Kelsey Whipple stumbled across Beasley’s TikTok around the time she began mulling ideas to hype the retailer’s spring collection.

“I thought it was funny. And the comments? Even funnier!” she recalls. “We knew almost immediately we had struck gold. After that, we shifted gears and began writing spots based on the comments. Old Navy is all about accessibility for their shoppers—and having our audience write the spot is the best execution of that.”

Old Navy promises more crowd-assisted marketing to come.

Hey, how about dads crashing the Super Bowl and dancing in the end zone for a big-game commercial! That’s my recommendation, anyway.