Gap gets its groove back
I love this new work and if you grew up shopping at Gap, you can likely remember some of the great moments in its brand marketing history, from ads featuring a young Spike Lee in the 1980s to the slogan “For every generation” to the famous “Who Wore Khakis” series of print ads, featuring unexpectedly preppy styling from the likes of Miles Davis, Picasso, and James Dean. But it’s been a while since the Gap Inc. brand really crossed over to enter the sweater-buying pubic’s consciousness — a loss in cultural cachet that has run in parallel with diminishing financial success. Gap at its best was “a pop culture brand, and it did more than just sell clothes,” says CEO Richard Dickson.
Whether Tyla will help Gap unlock a new chapter of cultural relevance and business success remains to be seen. “I’d say we’re getting our vibe back and importantly we’re starting to matter again and be part of the cultural conversation,” says Dickson. “But recognizing this is really just the start — the beginning of a new beginning.”
Still, it’s worth noting that Dickson’s bet on an ad campaign, as an expression of his vision as a new CEO, comes at a moment when brands ranging from IKEA to Dunkin’ to Verizon also are taking some pretty ambitious swings with splashy ad campaigns. Could this be the beginning of a mini trend back towards the creative? At a time when the advertising industry is under tremendous pressure, and after years of marketers allocating ever more budget to influencers and lead gen campaigns that promise efficiency at scale (and now AI!), it is nice to see iconic corporate bellwethers like Gap Inc. try to craft a compelling message and take it to the people. If creativity and style again inform the advertising we absorb every day, that would be, like the Tyla Gap ad, both a throwback to an earlier era and—maybe, just maybe—something that feels really fresh and full of energy for today’s consumers.
#Marketing #BrandStrategy #BrandBuildingANDSalesActivation #Distinctiveness #CulturalCurrency