GAP Still Hunting For Direction
We're just out of comments when it comes to the GAP, it's marketing and its apparent inability to connect with any segment of any demographic. In this spot, Claire Danes and Patrick Wilson dance across an empty stage to Irving Berlin's "Anything You Can Do" all to promote...The Boyfriend Trouser. Huh? Whatever.
The spot was created by Laird and Partners with some visual help from Brickyard.
Comments
It's cute, but it's just so late 90s.
Who the hell is Patrick Wilson?
There's a simple solution to fixing Gap, the brand. Get rid of the celebrities and start investing in the emotional meaning of the word Gap itself. The brand name has gotten lost in the celebrity shuffle.
The feelings that rub off on the word Gap need to come from a genuine place, not from a never ending parade of celebrities. The core values of the brand need to be defined in a personal and intimate way that plays off the word itself.
Example: A teenage boy and a girl are sitting on a bench with a "gap" between them. Neither one has the courage to start a conversation, but clearly they are enamored with each other. Suddenly a no name street musician sits down between them and starts belting out a soulful ballad. Then he walks away. The two kids immediately start talking to each other.
Gap logo...Tagline: Get Together
It's this feeling that needs to drive the inner core of the brand. Without it, the brand is lost in the emotional retail space. By developing a series of "Gap" stories, there's a way to reinvigorate the brand from the inside out, rather than the outside in.
If you get the emotional story right, the feelings rub off on the merchandise.