By Lila Roberts
Stepping Behind the Register in Los Angeles
Lady Gaga has traded stadium stages for the aisles of a convenience store, starring as a clerk in a futuristic FamilyMart branch for a new Japanese recruitment campaign. Working the register and cleaning floors in a monochrome commercial, the pop star brought an unexpected aesthetic to retail hiring. The spot is set to her song “Killah,” a collaboration with Gesaffelstein from her album Mayhem.
The high-tech Japanese konbini setting was actually constructed inside a Los Angeles studio. Production moved to California because the singer has not traveled to Japan since January. During that earlier trip, she performed six concerts on her world tour, including two shows at the Osaka Dome and four performances at the Tokyo Dome.
FamilyMart Uses Monochrome Visuals to Attract Job Applicants
The commercial relies on a stark black-and-white visual palette, sharply contrasted by the distinct green and blue colors of the corporate logo. FamilyMart designed the campaign specifically to attract job applicants for its retail locations, highlighting the chain’s newly introduced employee uniforms featuring the words “FamilyMart Staff” printed on the shirts.
This fresh uniform redesign debuted at the beginning of the month.
Drawing on Real Tour Experiences Abroad
Despite the overseas production keeping the shoot in Southern California, Lady Gaga drew directly on her actual experiences visiting Japanese convenience stores during past stays in the country. In an interview following the shoot, she noted that she visited FamilyMart locations, developing a fondness for cold soba, sushi, and Famichiki, the chain’s boneless fried chicken cooked in-store.
Amplifying the Brand’s Employment Push Online
The campaign song “Killah” originates from the album Mayhem, which was distributed in March of last year. To amplify the commercial and drive the brand’s employment push, Tokyo Weeknder’s Instagram account shared the promotional video online.
Artist Releases Award Winning Albums and Collaborative Tracks
The artist’s musical catalog also includes the 2008 release The Fame—which earned the statuette in the Best Electronic/Dance Album category at the 52nd Grammy Awards—alongside acclaimed works such as Born This Way and Chromatica. Other notable tracks span “Poker Face,” “Paparazzi,” “Alejandro,” “The Edge of Glory,” “Applause,” and “Abracadabra.” Her collaborative projects feature “Telephone” with Beyoncé, “Runway” with Doechii, and a duet of “Rain on Me” with Ariana Grande.
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