Brand: Gap Skinny Black Pants (Gap)
Execution: TV
Link: Click Here
Target: Skinny white women
Rating: ***
Reviewer: David

Description:
This spot starts with a clip of Audrey Hepburn in the Paramount film “Funny Face.” In this scene she’s in a Paris nightclub and says, “I rather feel like expressing myself now. And I could certainly use the release,” and starts to dance somewhat absurdly. As she begins to dance she steps out of the club and the movie into a white frame where she dances to “Back in Black” by AC/DC. As she continues to dance, sometimes mirrored with the fram shifting she says, “If a girl wants to dance, a girl wants to dance. It’s a form of expression.” Then she is briefly split into four identical Audreys before she leaps back into the movie frame. Then the spot shifts to the Gap logo against a tan background with the “The Skinny Black Pant” as the subtitle.

What Works:
This is a visually dramatic spot which follows the pseudo-iPod dance style being evolved for the Gap in its return to television (see our review of the excellent first spot in this campaign, ‘Jeans Take Shape’ here). Audrey Hepburn instantly commands attention as does her shocking step out of the movie frame and into the Gap commercial. The CGI effects are top notch and the entire experience is seamless.

Gap is continuing to do a good job with this campaign at developing an updated visual style which is both a modernization of the classic Gap dance commercials and a badly-needed assertion of fashion leadership for the clothing retailer. This spot is unique and ownable and has continuity with both past Gap efforts and the recent Jeans Take Shape spot.

What Doesn’t:
Gap takes a huge risk with this spot and almost pulls it off. The practice of using dead celebrities to promote brands is controversial and many consumers hate it. This spot intends to walk the line between endorsement and affiliation. The point is to show that Gap is emulating Hepburn’s style rather than the opposite. Even though it’s a good effort, the visual effects will be startling and offensive to some consumers. Audrey Hepburn is a cherished cultural icon and pairing her with the Gap (or with AC/DC for that matter) may strike some as heresy.

There is also some particular (and possibly unintended) irony in this spot. In ‘Funny Face,’ Hepburn plays Jo Stockton who desperately wants to meet the beatnick founder of “empatheticalism” (which sagely allows that to understand other people you must put yourselves in others shoes). To do this she is forced to model ultra-chic fashions for photographer Dick Avery. By using this particular clip, Gap compounds the ironic statement of the movie about trends and fashions. Which makes this advertising blog wonder if they were really watching.

Another minor issue with this spot is that it lacks the “Fall into the Gap” tagline which was successfully revived for the ‘Jeans Take Shape’ spot. The tagline helps remind the lapsed Gap-ista of the days when Gap really did lead fashion and we don’t think it should be abandoned so quickly.

Branding Bottom Line:
Sad but better for Audrey Hepburn than reanimation in a beer commercial.

Brand: Gap Jeans (Gap)
Execution: TV
Link: Click Here
Target: Lapsed Gap-ers
Rating: ****
Reviewer: David

Description:
To the track “Do Ya” from Peaches, a series of attractive people dance in different jeans. Animated borders playfully intertwine with the dancers. The titles announce “Jeans Take Shape” followed by the different jean silhouettes featured in the spot, including The Pencil, The Mini, The Shirt, The Skinny, etc. The spot ends with the ‘Fall Into The Gap’ which is accented by the music.

What Works:
Gap has been off air for a year, during which time they have obviously done some soul searching creatively. This spot is equal parts classic Gap and Apple imitator, borrowing handily both from a genre Gap created and one that has blossomed while Gap withered. The combination is effective, much more so than any of the last several efforts by the retailer. Here’s what works in this spot:

1. Visual Impact: Gap created the dance spot with its iconic ‘Gap Khaki Swings‘ spot, so it is only appropriate that they return to the form borrowing some innovation from the solo dance trend used so successfully in recent Apple iPod spots. Bi-coastal design studio Shilo successfully weaves abstract animations reminiscent of pen and ink drawings through the morphing images of dancers wearing different types of Gap Denim. The effect is novel and arresting.
2. Branding: By using a style of commercial so closely identified with Gap and quickly focusing on fashion, this spot becomes ownably Gap within seconds. Very few former Gap customers will forget that they are watching a Gap spot.
3. Product Focus: Gap’s main challenge these days is to regain relevance in a fashion world that has largely passed them by (more on this below). A good way to do that is to remind people what you do well. Gap became famous for offering stylish basics at an affordable price. By highlighting the classic denim silhouettes they remind us that these are, after all, simple things and Gap might be a better place to buy them than a department store or designer shop. Gap is nothing when it misses the heart of a fashion trend, so the success of this spot will be tied largely to whether Gap has accurately taken the pulse of the consumer.
4. Familiar Tagline: The not-so-subtle tug of nostalgia we feel when Gap resurrects the “Fall Into the Gap” is a good idea for the struggling retailer. Reminding us of the relationship we had with the brand when we were younger will not hurt Gap as long as their styles and prices remain relevant.

What Doesn’t:
Advertising cannot save a company from a strategic positioning mistake and in some sense that is what Gap is asking of Laird+Partners and Shilo in this spot.  Gap’s real problem is that its parent owns Banana Republic which has peeled off the Pottery Barn crowd and Old Navy which has a Target-like appeal to fashionable value shoppers.  What’s left is not enough to sustain a vibrant business.

Gap really needs to focus on refreshing the value proposition and understanding why any twentysomething should go to Gap before any other store.  As often happens, acquisitions made in the name of corporate synergy have hurt the Gap by diluting its brand strategy and taking the edge off of its once-potent marketing.  To meet the promise of this appealing commercial, Gap will have to rethink retail.
Branding Bottom Line:
Gap has got us so excited about denim that we’ll definitely pick up a new pair of skinny jeans next time we’re at Old Navy.

Brand: GAP
Execution: Online Interactive
Link: Click Here
Target: Voyeuristic Middle Americans
Rating: ***
Reviewer: David
Description:
This viral campaign for GAP features an interactive changing room. You pick a person, design them down to the eyebrows and then pick an outfit for them to change into. Finally, your character strips from streetclothes down to undies, outrageously dancing to music all of the time, and then models the new outfit.

What Works:
If the best measure of publicity is attention, GAP has a smashing success with www.watchmechange.com. For little more than the cost of production and a few phone calls, GAP has the makings of another Subservient Chicken on its hands. (And no wonder with the same agency – Crispin, Porter + Bogusky – masterminding this campaign.)

Beyond the buzz, the shockwave interactive spot is impressive, too. It let’s the user build themselves, the person they’d like to be or just someone they want to watch. Then you basically get to see this person making a fool of themselves while changing. The dancing is genuinely funny and you will laugh – particularly if you have been brave enough to design yourself. So the spot is memorable.

What Doesn’t:
It’s difficult to be the buzz kill with such a clever viral campaign, but our mission in life is to ask the question: does it build the brand? Let’s start by asking – what is GAP? After some soul searching through the past few years the answer seems to be (and we’re not guessing here – it’s on the corporate mission statement) “Fresh, Casual American Style”. This is the heart of GAP, which is trying to become an American icon in the same way that Coca-Cola, Chevy or McDonald’s have. In truth, GAP is already something of an American icon, having brought us back to our clean cut roots with Swing dancing and khaki pants. They may have been as responsible as any one company for turning casual Fridays into casual all the time at many companies.

This is all by way of saying that GAP has a mainstream audience and promotes mainstream values. So the first question we have to ask is – does this campaign build or detract from the values that GAP holds so essential to its brand? The answer is that this campaign seems completely unrelated to these values. We won’t go so far as to say that seeing men and women shimmying in their skivvies classifies as a major break with traditional values. Rather it is the entire attitude of the spot that seems very different and disconnected from the GAP style that we have come to know. It doesn’t argue with our notions of what GAP is, but it also does not reinforce them.

GAP at its best is a safety net for fashion-challenged adults. GAP is an updated Garanimals for everyone. It allows us to be a little bolder, brighter and fresher than we might be otherwise. This spot does a good job of showing just what we’re trying to recover from – our lovable but nerdy selves. It also does not help us with clothing beyond the novelty effect. Is it possible that we might want some suggestions for coordinating outfits? Yes, but no luck here. Would I like to click on an outfit I’d like and have it priced out and placed into an electronic shopping cart? Absolutely, but to preserve the purity of the fun, that isn’t possible here. Would I like a wider range of clothing and a chance to see if things might go with different shoes – you betcha – but again no luck.

The branding is also too subtle. We know it’s GAP – having a logo in the corner (that might – say – lead to GAP Online) really won’t bother us too much.

Branding Bottom Line:
Nice execution. Now please mind the GAP.