Well, Utada's inclusion to Rebuild actually fits the aim to "rebrand" Eva into something less otaku-focused but more on attracting the general audience. Instead of anisong artists, they commissioned an international pop star to perform radio-friendly songs and whether you like it or not, it works. Lots of Utada fans saw the films just because her songs are in them.
The Rebuild-era merchandising also leans more on mainstream swag appeal, look at the Radio EVA clothing lines, the FILA collaboration and stuff. Not saying they abandoned the otaku segment entirely, stuff like pachinko, the action figures, and plamodels are still there (Bandai just teased an RG Mark.06 last night, by the way) but compared to the GAINAX era, there's a notable shift in the target market.
By the way, I also think One Last Kiss is less inspiring than Beautiful World or Sakura Nagashi, it's basically Ed Sheeran-core but I can't lie that I've been humming the song on a daily basis since December 25, 2020.