Old Navy partners with MrBeast, driving over 22% traffic jump to kids’ assortment
Old Navy partnered with MrBeast for its 2026 back-to-school campaign, which drove an over 22% jump in traffic to the kids’ assortment online in the days immediately following launch. The MrBeast videos generated over 100 million global views and 1.4 billion impressions on YouTube.
The campaign features comedic content, sweepstakes and giveaways that include free lunch for a year to a middle school in Kansas and cash prizes plus Old Navy gift cards for students who answer meme-themed trivia correctly. It marks Old Navy’s first back-to-school effort anchored on a single creator, part of a broader shift away from highly produced ads toward authentic storytelling aimed at Gen Z and Gen Alpha shoppers. Old Navy has also been rewiring its marketing after a 4% decline in comparable sales in Q2, with Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson citing the MrBeast collaboration and a recent Cardi B denim campaign as signs of a more effective approach.
“The numbers are staggering,” Damon Berger, senior vice president and head of shared marketing services at Gap Inc said.
“With improved execution in August, we have seen the business pick up, reinforcing our confidence in the actions we are taking,” Richard Dickson, CEO of Gap Inc said.
The previous back-to-school campaigns are those more highly produced ideas. Now this is about more storytelling from the authentic lens to the communities that we're trying to reach, Berger said. Old Navy recently named Michael Francis as CEO, replacing Haio Barbeito as part of a planned transition. Among surveyed parents, 91% report their teenage children influence their brand preferences, research from HarrisX and Allison Worldwide found.
What we know
over 22% jump in traffic to Old Navy kids’ assortment online
over 100 million global views on YouTube
1.4 billion impressions on YouTube
north of 515 million subscribers on YouTube
4% decline in comparable sales at Old Navy in Q2