Old Navy Holiday Campaign Stars Jennifer Hudson

There’s nothing like home for the holidays, especially if you have singer and actress Jennifer Hudson on hand to host your festive party.

Old Navy kicked off its holiday campaign, “Love Is in the House,” on Thursday (Oct. 24) with the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) award winner. The retailer’s marketing push comes as it continues to reinvigorate the brand and “reassert ourselves into culture,” as chief marketing officer Behnaz Ghahramani told ADWEEK in September.

Old Navy’s campaign also coincides with Hudson’s first holiday album, The Gift of Love, which debuted this month. Her rendition of “Winter Wonderland” serves as the commercial’s soundtrack, and the album will be sold in select Old Navy stores in the four cities where she is touring (Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas).

In the ad, Hudson is decked out in Old Navy apparel and serves as hostess of a magical holiday home. Her party guests include nine-year-old dancer Brody Hudson Schaffer (Boss Baby Brody), dancer and influencer Lexee Smith, dancer and choreographer Raphael “The Sandman” Thomas, and Old Navy’s Magic the Dog.

The campaign will run across movie screens, social platforms, primetime television, and streaming services including Amazon Prime, Bravo, Disney+, HGTV, Hulu, and Netflix. “Love Is in the House” will also run during 34 National Football League games, including on Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.

Old Navy’s brand revival began when parent company Gap Inc. hired fashion designer Zac Posen in February as executive vice president and creative director of the brand portfolio and chief creative officer of Old Navy. Since then, the retailer has focused on marrying nostalgia marketing, such as in its 90s-themed 30th anniversary campaign, with “nowstalgia,” a modern approach activating on digital channels and collaborating with new partners.

“It was a dream come true to work with Jennifer Hudson and see her sparkle in our new ‘Shine’ denim,” Posen 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.”