Gap? Gnarly.

On Aug. 19, Gap released a commercial featuring the up-and-coming girl group Katseye. The commercial, featuring the group dancing to “Milkshake” by Kelis, has caught the internet by storm, gathering over 400 million views on social media, according to Gap CEO Richard Dickson.

People may be wondering what exactly Katseye is and who it is; after dropping ‘Gnarly’ earlier this year, collaborating with Glossier and winning the VMA for best push performance, Katseye has gained more mainstream recognition.

The group formed in 2023 after being on the show “Dream Academy.” “Dream Academy” is a survival show — or a competition — to create a global K-pop-inspired girl group. Contestants go through rigorous singing, dancing and performance challenges to advance into the group. Many K-pop fans grew familiar with Katseye as a result.

Senior Connor Davis has been a longtime K-pop fan and fan of Katseye since its debut.

“I watched ‘Dream Academy’ while it was airing before ‘Pop Star Academy’ came out,” Davis said. “So I literally was there for their formation on day one.”

“Pop Star Academy” is a documentary showing exactly how Katseye was formed, along with behind the scenes footage of “Dream Academy.”

After gaining popularity in the mid-2010s, K-pop largely expanded into Western culture and has been the driving force behind many internet phenomena. K-pop differs from Western pop music in that everything is a production.

The members of each group have a distinct personality and style that fans choose their favorite from; fans will collect trading cards (called photo cards) of their “biases” (favorites); choreography and performances are meticulously rehearsed to ensure perfection. Music videos are conceptual, and their wardrobes are perfectly curated. Many Western groups and artists do not have this same influence upon their fan bases, and many do not have this high a budget for production — which is why Katseye feels new and refreshing for the Western world.

Although Katseye did have a growing fanbase before they launched into mainstream media, there is still a wide margin of people who have the potential to become fans. Senior Jess Beukemann is typically an EDM and rap fan, but said her curiosities piqued with the Gap commercial.

“I definitely think that after viewing the Katseye Gap ad I have been more intrigued about listening to pop and K-pop music,” Beukemann said. “I have been watching videos of the group and even looking at the Gap brand more. It really stands out to me when music is diversified and not exclusive.”

Another reason why this commercial has sparked so much interest is due to the advertising landscape in America right now. In particular, American Eagle released an advertisement with Sydney Sweeney with language that hinted towards the idea of having ‘good genes.’

“After the Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle campaign, I think a lot of people are paying closer attention to what commercials are actually saying,” Davis said. “The contrast between the two is insane, especially in terms of what the audiences are saying.”

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Messaging and branding are everything, which resonates especially with business students. Senior human capital leadership and management student Sydney Eynon has also been a longtime Katseye fan.

“One thing that I loved seeing in this ad that really makes it stand out to its rival is the diversity,” Eynon said. “This employs the psychological principle of identification; the consumer is more likely to buy a product if they are similar or have a connection to the people in the advertisements.”

The adoration for this campaign is not just circling around the diversity; several aspects of the commercial have pointed directly to successful and intentional marketing. Everything from the song choice to the choreography has been praised, especially on TikTok, where tutorials of the group’s choreography are making their rounds.

“The girls aren’t on a soapbox giving an uninteresting pitch about why Gap’s jeans are better than their competitors,” Eynon said. “Instead, they are showing the consumers the wearability and comfortability of the product. Using choreography has been a staple in Gap ads over the years and that’s for a good reason.”

After this major marketing success, what is next for Katseye?

“[Katseye] has done a great job with their K-pop-inspired music,” Davis said. “If they start to make more Western-sounding music, I’m sure their fanbase will continue to grow, but in my opinion, anything they release is awesome. They really are just getting started.”

Katseye has a North American tour starting in Minneapolis on Nov. 15, to support its latest EP entitled “Beautiful Chaos.”

But, for now, all that can be said is that Katseye’s success has been absolutely gnarly.

leeam8@miamioh.edu