Old Navy runs traditional advertising on television and digital channels almost every day of the year. However, Old Navy wanted to branch out from traditional advertising and go beyond performance marketing to reinforce its brand values and reconnect with consumers.

Given Old Navy’s high brand awareness, the objective of the program was to (1) drive brand reappraisal and (2) drive engagement (more emotional, less transactional) with the brand’s broad audience. Specific KPIs were established to Reach and Long Form Views of the content.

The brief screamed entertainment, so our task was to find the most compelling way to tell fun and engaging stories that reflect the company, its employees, and its programs and to attract audiences in a way that their advertising couldn’t.

“Lil Interns” is a medium-form content series (6 episodes, 3-5 minutes each) where we give kids the opportunity to intern at Old Navy. But the interns won’t be left to fend for themselves, as our Big Intern, played by Kenan Thompson, joined them for this adventure. The series is a hybrid of reality and loosely scripted scenarios playing out as a workplace comedy. Each episode focuses on a different department within Old Navy, as we learn about finance, HR, Marketing, and much more.

A format and narrative that engages both parents and kids at once, made for families to watch together, laugh together, and ultimately enjoy.

As a brand that caters to families, we knew our consumers were looking for a trusted resource for family-friendly content. This was a constant theme in nationwide focus groups among parents who work hard and juggle their everyday activities while trying to provide the best for their kids. Who, in turn, are spending too much time lost in social media and algorithmic rabbit holes.

Our insight stemmed from this: In the algorithmic world that we live in, it’s easy to find content that pulls families apart rather than bring them together.

This led us to our strategic imperative: Use storytelling to entertain parents and kids together, bringing more smiles to their days. And who better to own that mantle than America’s favorite family fashion retailer?

The six-episode series follows Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night Live's” longest-running cast member, as he tests out a potential career move to the corporate world— interning at Old Navy—but that’s not the only surprise. On his first day, he discovers that his fellow interns haven’t even graduated...elementary school.

Each episode takes place at Old Navy’s Headquarters in San Francisco featuring real Old Navy employees from various Old Navy departments—finance, marketing, human resources, design, and an Old Navy retail store—as they attempt to comically teach Thompson and his fellow interns about their departments and roles.

In episode one, “Human Resources,” Kenan and the interns learn about Old Navy’s policies and the etiquette of working in the adult world by playing a new take on the classic childhood game “red light, green light,” determining what is and isn’t appropriate workplace behavior. For some comedic hubris, the interns practice firing the ever-difficult Kenan.

“Lil Interns” proved to be a success, beating established KPIs for both Reach and Long Form Views. The content also performed above the benchmark of more traditional campaign formats of previous Old Navy campaigns.

•Total Impressions: 250.3M – 104% over the goal, showing the efficiency of content with entertainment value on paid social

• FB/IG CTR in the US was 5.15% – 205% above goal, showing how consumers engage with formats like entertainment trailers

• Total Views of videos: 3.6M plus – exceeded projections by 40%

• Total Minutes Watched: 15,216,202, three months after launch – which means that viewers spent almost 5 minutes watching the content

• Total PR Impressions: ~405,000,000 – with outlets beyond advertising trade covering it

With engagement higher than anticipated and overwhelmingly positive comments submitted by people on the microsite, even asking for additional content to view, a new season is to be expected soon.