BabyGap Rolls Out Casting Call
The retailer, a division of Gap, Inc., has teamed up with Kodak and its EasyShare Gallery in a casting call for consumers to submit online their photos of children aged four and under. Consumer can visit the microsite and upload their favorite pix. Entrants will receive personalized holiday cards from the Kodak gallery and a discount on their next BabyGap purchase.
The casting call contest runs through Nov. 3. BabyGap judges will narrow down its pool of entries to 20 semifinalists made up of 10 boys and 10 girls. Consumers can decide the two final grand-prize winners (one boy and one girl) via online voting at KodakGallery.com/babygap between Nov. 28 and Dec. 31, the company said.
The two top winners will participate in a professional BabyGap photo shoot, then be featured on window ads at their local BabyGap and in Child magazine. They will also receive $5,000 toward a college fund, a year of BabyGap clothing and a Kodak camera prize pack. Winners will be announced early in 2007.
The promotion signals a growing trend by marketers to feature real people in its advertising and marketing campaigns. McDonald’s recently completed its first-ever global casting call to put everyday consumers on its cups and packaging (PROMO, September 2006). The McD effort is expected to rollout in February or March. Other brands that have launched “real people” campaigns include Mudd Jeans and Levi’s.
Online materials and in-store signage support the babyGap contest, which is handled in-house by. Kodak. Pleasant Ridge, MI-based ePrize handles contest administration, photo uploads and voting.
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