Comebackstreet Boys: These '90s Pop Bands Just Keep Rockin' Thanks to Brands

Muse executive director Charell Star recently hung out with NYSNC’s Joey Fatone at an event in Hoboken, N.J. He appeared as part of the “No Team Required” tailgating tour for Heluva Good! Dips. Joey posed for countless pics and tutored attendees on his “Bye, Bye, Bye” dance moves. The brand is donating $25 (up to $5,000 in each city) to local Feeding America food banks.

Classic boy bands of the ’90s and ’00s will never go bye, bye. They’ll live 4evah across who-knows-how-many digital playlists, and continue to strut their stuff in commercials that stir nostalgia and introduce their music to new generations.

Below, we look at notable spots from recent years. In some, Fatone and other boy banders appear, while tweak the format for tuneful parodies. One standout intros the Tabby 5. If we were given to silly boy-band wordplay, we’d say those cats have the right stuff. But Joey wouldn’t want it that way.

AAA Insurance, ‘Boys No More’

It’s what we’ve long feared: a supergroup of middle-aged boy band vets! Joey Fatone from NSYNC, Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees, Joey McIntyre from New Kids On The Block and Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men combine as Boys No More. For the Deloitte Digital spot, they recorded a new track, “Make It Right,” and bust some righteous dance moves. (Ouch, their backs!)

Downy, ‘Rinse and Refresh’

Clinton-era pop princes Backstreet Boys reprise their 1999 mega-hit “I Want It That Way” as they spring to life in a framed wall poster. This spot from Saatchi & Saatchi tosses in a cute NSYNC joke, too, celebrating a fun time for pop culture (and, of course, clean clothes).

Netflix, ‘Love Has No Off Season’

“Open up your heart, and be the real you. You don’t have to swipe, ’cause baby our love is true.” Nick Lachey hypes the streamer’s “Reality Romance” dating shows as only he can—by convincingly fronting a faux boy band, N-2-LUV. Lots of pec flexing here, plus enough autotune to set ears and hearts aflutter.

Meow Mix, ‘Tabby 5’

JC Chasez of NSYNC presents a band of cat puppets that can never be neutered. They dance and sing their paws off, breathing fresh life into the brand’s “Meow” jingle that’s rocked litter boxes for half a century. “When we were tasked with launching the wet-food range, there was only one genre that could really bring it to life—the rain-soaked boybands of the 90s,” says BBH USA GCD Peter Defries.

AT&T, ‘Boy Band’

A few years back, fake band 300 Likes headlines an AT&T commercial from BBDO, performing a bouncy banger called “Summertime Lover.” The tune caught on with viewers, and South Music & Sound created a full-length version of the earworm. 

Old Navy, ‘BSB’

Nothing upstages BSB. Not even a ginormous ’90s-style boombox. This runway workout aired a decade ago, which speaks to just how long boy bands have engineered “comebacks” to boost brands with their badass (but generally unobjectionable) beats.