By Phillip D. Johnson
Fall Campaign Features Gap’s Iconic Denim; Engages Consumers Through Digital Content and a Return to TV
Launching today, Gap’s fall global marketing campaign – Back to Blue – celebrates the brand’s heritage with a robust worldwide campaign spanning print, outdoor, direct, social, in store, digital and a return to TV. It’s the broadest-reaching campaign in the company’s modern history, reflecting the dramatically changing media landscape. Debuting on TV for the first time in four years, the Back to Blue TV spots will be revealed in mid-September through an innovative partnership.
“Back to Blue means getting back to what matters most – our truest selves, when we are most comfortable in our own skin,” said Seth Farbman, Gap’s Global Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s both a statement of how we feel as a brand, and how our customers want to live their lives and make their decisions. With style, people are seeking authentic denim and chambray – clothes you can wear almost anywhere but never forget who you really are.”
Kicking off with highly visible outdoor advertising in its top global markets and magazine advertising in August issues worldwide including Vogue, Lucky, InStyle, Glamour, PeopleStyle Watch and Vanity Fair in North America, as well as GQ, Glamour, Elle, Marie Claire and Grazia in the UK, the campaign features both the attitude and clothing from Gap’s fall collection – rooted in denim, chambray and classic Gap items. Images from photographers Inez and Vinood, update Gap’s history of capturing powerful portraits for today’s audiences.
Grounded in 1969 denim and iconic layering pieces like denim jackets, sweaters and chambray shirts, Gap’s fall collection is an authentic expression of Gap’s optimistic and casual sense of style. The women’s collection features rich, indigo denim washes in popular fits such as the 1969 Legging Jean, Sexy Boyfriend and Always Skinny. Also big for fall is the assortment of denim jackets, particularly the Moto Jacket in 1969 Denim and the 1969 Drop Pocket Jacket. The menswear collection is focused on classic signature fits and modern basics. Highlights include the 1969 Slim and Straight jeans, and the 1969 Chambray Shirt and Utility Shirt.
The global campaign includes new digital content every day, across many global platforms, including a partnership with Tumblr’s mobile platform. Gap has also updated its Styld.by platform – which partners with popular bloggers and style experts to curate the best fall looks – to include video, with a series on style advice from Jenn Rogien, the costume designer for HBO’s “GIRLS.”
Extensive lo-fi digital content features 24 influential millennials, including Tanisha Long from MTV’s Girl Code and Urban Bush Babes blogger Cipriana Quann – sharing simple, raw and relatable stories about what it means to be one’s most authentic self. Each wears their favorite pieces from the fall Back to Blue collection in short films, photographs and animated GIFs.
“Just as our fall collection shares a fashion perspective that’s iconic, confident and accessible, each element of our marketing campaign celebrates Gap’s denim legacy in a truly authentic way,” Farbman added.
Starting today, Gap is launching a contest on Tumblr, which encourages digital artists to share what Back to Blue means to them by creating an original piece of content. To help spark entrants’ creativity, prominent fashion blogger FashGif will submit the first piece of content and will be featured on Gap’s Tumblr. On August 29, the winning works will be featured on Gap’s Tumblr and turned into Tumblr mobile ads. This is the first time a brand will own all of Tumblr’s mobile ads in one day. To enter the contest, please visit: http://gap.tumblr.com/contest.
Global Art Project with VICE
Bringing the Back To Blue concept to life on city streets around the world, Gap is partnering with emerging street artists curated by VICE to create ten striking outdoor murals that celebrate individualism, optimism and democracy. Titled “Art of Blue,” the murals will be created by artists such as Zio Ziegler, Roman Grandinetti and Andrew McAttee, and will appear in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Rome. This global art project was inspired by Gap’s founders, Don and Doris Fisher, who have been supporters of contemporary art for many years.
Styld.by returns this fall in 30 countries, inspiring customers around the world by bringing Gap product to life through the editorial point of view of popular lifestyle bloggers. Partners include Refinery29, Mashable and Eater. Diving deeper into interest communities, Refinery29 will style Gap’s key fall items with fashion and lifestyle bloggers, while Mashable will style technology influencers and Eater will style chefs. Styld.by continues to expand its global reach with the addition of Russia, Singapore and the Philippines.
Additionally, Styld.by will launch a video series featuring Jenn Rogien, Costume Designer for HBO’s “GIRLS” and NETFLIX’s “Orange is the New Black.” In the video series, Jenn discusses how she uses clothes, including Gap items, to help bring characters to life and how everyone can express their personalities and tell their own stories through their clothing choices.
To follow the content, visit Gap’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr communities, and join the conversation with the hashtag #BacktoBlue.