As of this week, the public can add Gap Girl to Madonna's accomplishments.
Media outlets across the country have made much of the Gap's new campaign featuring "Madge" (as the Brits call her) and Missy Elliott. But is any of this really news? The Gap has long used musicians in its print and television advertising. And years ago Madonna had a short-lived career as a Pepsi pitchwoman, until the soft drink company chickened out and decided crucifixes and cola didn't mix.
The angle is that Madonna is extending her reach to shill the clothing of the common folk -- and maybe get some attention to boost lagging record sales in the process. One friend's reaction to the Gap commercial was simple and to the point. "Wow. She must be desperate."
She's probably about as desperate as the Gap is these days. The retailer hopes to boost sales by offering a free CD of the remix of "Into the Groove" to buyers of jeans in the store or online. And fashionistas who want to adopt Missy or Madonna's looks from the ads can find a handy link for the looks at gap.com
As a brand recognition exercise, the move seems to have worked, at least for the commercial itself: VH1 showed a "director's cut" of the spot earlier in the week. Time will tell if this will translate into clothing sales -- or just a trend where commercials become appointment television like "Friends" or "American Idol."
But hey, what do I know about trends? Back in the early 1980s, I thought Cyndi Lauper (who currently appears in a Dr. Pepper commercial) would outshine Madonna in the long run. I guess being material is more important than being unusual.
