Lady Gaga’s ‘Runway’ Video: Fashion Extravaganza or Target Ad? Fans Weigh In

Lady Gaga’s music video for ‘Runway’, her collaboration with Doechii from The Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack, has sparked a debate online. While the video features high-fashion wardrobes, voguing choreography, and a colorful, campy aesthetic, some viewers claim it looks strikingly similar to a Target commercial.

Comments on Popcrave’s tweet about the video are filled with comparisons to Target’s iconic 2010s music video campaigns. The resemblance isn’t coincidental: swapping the video’s black-and-white striped set for Target’s signature red-and-white circles would make it nearly indistinguishable from a Target Exclusive album promo. Target became a major player in music video production by creating star-studded commercials for artists like Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, and Taylor Swift, often airing them during live awards shows.

How Target’s Music Video Campaigns Shaped a Generation

Target’s creative partnership with musicians provided a unique promotional platform. The retailer’s commercials allowed artists to express their album eras in ways they couldn’t with other big-box retailers like Walmart. Visual elements such as the red-and-white color scheme, high-contrast set pieces, and graphic black-and-white stripes (seen in Gwen Stefani’s 2016 live commercial for ‘Make Me Like You’) became synonymous with the Target brand.

This strategy drove foot traffic to Target’s music aisles during the digital download era and gave the retailer cultural cachet. While Target still sells exclusive albums, its promotional approach has evolved, moving away from the high-budget, live commercials of the 2000s and 2010s.

Is Gaga’s ‘Runway’ Video a Target Ad in Disguise?

Though Lady Gaga has released Target Exclusives for albums like Mayhem and Chromatica, she has never filmed a Target commercial herself. However, the ‘Runway’ video, directed by choreographer Parris Goebel (who co-directed ‘Abracadabra’), feels like a love letter to that era. The video’s graphic, high-contrast, and theatrical set design, combined with its voguing choreography—where each dancer competes to outperform the last—mirrors the extravagance of Target’s commercials.

While some critics argue the video is a visual retread, others praise its fashion-forward focus as avant-garde and fun. The intentional 2010s homage is evident: Gaga pairs a bright-blue Robert Wun dress and matching headpiece with a bright-yellow wig, a look reminiscent of her iconic ‘Telephone’ video from 2010. This isn’t a reductive callback; it’s a deliberate reference.

The Decline of Corporate Music Video Promotions

The ‘Runway’ video’s throwback aesthetic also highlights the decline of corporate music video promotions. Target’s once-ubiquitous commercials, featuring live choreography and expensive ad slots, are now a relic of a bygone era. Today, digital streaming and social media dominate music promotion, leaving less room for the extravagant, brand-coded visuals of the past.