The Gap Steps Up to Social Media in New Denim Campaign - ClickZ
ClickZ NewsThe Gap Steps Up to Social Media in New Denim Campaign
By Douglas Quenqua, ClickZ, Aug 17, 2009
The Gap, once admired for its TV commercials as much as its clothes, is banking on a new line of denim wear to help revive its sagging brand. But don't expect to hear about it on television.
The new ad campaign from The Gap, titled "Born to Fit," includes no TV commercials, instead placing a greater emphasis on Web advertising and social media -- Facebook, specifically -- than any effort in the retailer's history. Offline, there are print, cinema and outdoor ads, but all will drive consumers to the initiative's Facebook page. The effort launched on Thursday, August 13.
The idea is to reach consumers where they are already talking about fashion, said Julie Channing, senior account director with The Gap's digital agency, AKQA.
"We were really looking to reach out to fashionistas and influence audiences and even skeptics of The Gap to start a conversation about how Gap has built this line of denim from the ground up," she said. They wanted to "lend credibility to the story."
The Facebook page acts as the centerpiece for the online campaign, where viewers can watch a video of Rada Shadick, Gap's "fit engineer," explaining the development of the new denim line, called "1969" (named after the year The Gap was founded), and see which fit might work for them. Users can also upload photos and videos featuring their own "born to" statement and click through to Gap.com to make purchases.
The "Born to Fit" angle factors heavily in the campaign's display ads, as well. AKQA crafted custom banner ads for several different blog partners saying what each was born to do. For example, the ads on Glam.com say "Born to Set Trends," and the ads on PopSugar say "Born to Strategize." Other blog partners include Mashable, Thrillist and Idolator. The customs ads ran on the first day of the campaign and will run again on Monday, August 17.
For the iPhone, AKQA created an app called the StyleMixer that lets users mix and match outfits and interact with friends on The Gap's Facebook page. The app will also reveal undisclosed "surprises" when near a Gap store.
Channing said The Gap had set no numerical benchmarks to determine success in the campaign, but rather would look at "how much consumers interact with the brand" to gauge ROI.
The Gap, which has seen a steady decrease in same-store sales for the past two years, has scaled back ad spending recently in order to focus on product development. Gap president Marka Hansen told Fortune this latest campaign represents a "medium size" increase in its ad budget for the year.
Adam08/20/2009I'm not sure this will work. I feel like they are expecting people to pay attention to them and interact with them because they are the "gap." I'd be very curious to see how this actually plays out.
www.blackboxstrategy.nethb08/19/2009An enormous commitment by a high profile advertiser to a new medium. As the cynical ad guy, I look forward to seeing the research that showed them this will sell product. And the post flight analysis that shows it sold product.Guest08/20/2009hb - I hear you on the cynicism, one ad guy to another, but keep in mind this telling snippet: "Channing said The Gap had set no numerical benchmarks to determine success in the campaign, but rather would look at 'how much consumers interact with the brand' to gauge ROI.
They're using social media to its strength, which is to build community and strengthen brand, not looking for a direct correlation to the cash register. In the end, it's all about the cash register, but an engaged audience can only help sales.Alistair Williams09/03/2009Hi HB. Of course this campaign will be successful, as ultimately they didn't state they wanted to sell anything with this campaign, nor did they clearly set any objectives in the first place. That's a no lose clause.Eileen Lichtenfeld08/19/2009Given GAP's declining sales and target market - this sounds like a much more cost effective and measurable strategy. As much as I love TV - it is not the right fit for all retailers at all times. Will be interested to see their results.Sarah Fields08/20/2009I don't think that Gap's declining sales can be attributed to it's "declining" target market, but rather it's departure from it's core audiences in past years. I'm interested to see how this campaign works out. I think the style apps are going to be part of this trend to fuse the in-store and online shopping experience.www.denmarktheagency.com
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Cool social media campaign by Gap.
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