FamilyMart began airing nationwide on 25 September 2026 a staff-recruitment commercial featuring Lady Gaga. The Financial Times reported that the use of a global star reflects a new phase in Japanese companies' competition to attract talent.
FamilyMart has been airing nationwide since 25 September a staff-recruitment commercial featuring Lady Gaga. The commercial shows Gaga performing tasks such as mopping floors, stocking shelves and working the checkout with the energy of a live performance.
The Financial Times reported that the campaign involved having “a global superstar dance for 30 seconds and ask, ‘Want to work at Famima?’” and marked the beginning of a new phase in securing talent for Japanese companies. Brand Buffet viewed the campaign as an effort to portray part-time work as enjoyable and open to diversity, rather than merely as a means of generating attention.
The backdrop is a serious labor shortage. According to the newspaper, the effective job-openings-to-applicants ratio in July 2026 was approximately 1.2 times for all industries and reached 7.9 times in construction. FamilyMart is recruiting approximately 10,000 part-time employees in Japan, while Seven-Eleven is seeking approximately 20,000. Labor is still needed despite the use of automation and efforts to maintain 24-hour operating systems.