I got some great feedback from my previous column. As it turns out, I actually do have a few readers who aren’t my parents, clients, or associates. Thank you to everyone who responded, including my mom. Although she just likes to point out the dozens of grammatical gaffes and usage blunders in every column—to be expected from someone who has read William Safire in “The New York Times Magazine” every week for 25 years. Plus, when compared to my sister-in-law, Wendy, who just published her second book (plug below) and writes for the “New York Post,” I should definitely keep my day (and night) job.
Anyway, in the previous column, I briefly reviewed some of Gap’s missteps in recent years. To turn the ship around, I believe the retailer needs to do a relevancy and experience analysis of its entire brand and overhaul everything from its stores to its clothes to its marketing.
So where do we start? How about the store experience. First, has anyone ever noticed the lighting in a Gap? It’s worse than an airport bathroom. Let’s do something about that. Next, its merchandising hasn’t seemed to change in 15 years.
I think a complete redesign of their store environment is a must. Make Gap stores inviting and pleasant to the consumer while connecting on an emotional level far beyond their current state, no matter who the customer is. Both of Gap’s sister brands, , Banana Republic and Old Navy have done a much better job with their retail environments.
“Jeans for Everyone.” That is a sign my friend recently saw outside her local Gap. Is this what people want? To be wearing jeans made for the masses? The old Volkswagen of clothes? There is nothing wrong with making a solid product for mainstream America. Only when it comes to clothes, I would stay away from statements such as these. There is no “everyone.” People don’t think of themselves as “everyone”. Gap has lost its audience and now needs to find its customers again. Be it redefining itself for a younger generation or maturing with its former customer base, it needs to find its niche and make its clothes accordingly. We all need wardrobe basics, but with more and more consumer choices in the clothing industry, there is much less of a need for those basics to be so…basic.
Lastly, Gap needs to do something about its advertising. Although someone in my office jokingly called me the Mo Rocca of marketing and advertising, I always prefer constructive commentary when it comes to the work of other agencies. And in Gap’s case, I can’t blame its choice in 2004 to go with Crispin Porter. However, I haven’t seen anything up to the quality of work Crispin has done for Burger King or others, and I thought its watchmechange.com concept was a desperate attempt to re-create old magic. I strongly believe Gap needs to use more creative media and messaging to communicate with consumers, and it has left a lot of potential opportunities on the table and has not truly used a “world as our canvas” marketing approach.
Well, without going on any further, I wanted to leave some space for a few of the responses I received last week.
Matt, UConn class of ‘95, who I previously mentioned and also happens to be a CHIEF MARKETER subscriber/loyal reader, “couldn’t agree more about how Gap has misfired on many occasions.” However, he does add one positive move the company has made in a previously untapped market: maternity clothes. Matt (and I assume his wife, Daina) felt that Gap Maternity provides pregnant women with a great selection of professional and casual clothes. He also went on a long diatribe about our beloved Huskies, their recent loss in theBig East tournament, and their chances in the NCAA tournament. Let’s hope they are still around in the tourney when this is published.
Stephanie from California felt that “ Gap needs to attach themselves to a relevant designer and completely revamp their entire product line. While some guys may still be okay with Gap jeans and clothes, I can’t think of one girl I know who shops there. In the world of 7 for All Mankind and Chip and Pepper, let’s face it, wearing Gap jeans is just not cool.”
Andrea from Chicago adds, “If Gap is supposed carry the basics, and Old Navy has all the basics, but cheaper, what again is the Gap’s brand position?”
Dan in San Francisco: “I think Gap, Inc. needs to either buy or create a more fashionable property, morph Gap and Old Navy stores into one, and leave Banana Republic alone. That would leave the company with three primary retail clothing stores: one for the cheap basics, one for urban fashion to compete with and Swivel Media and founder of IXMA, the International Experiential Marketing Association. He also moderates the Experiential Marketing Forum and pens the biweekly BrandAnimation column for CHIEF MARKETER.
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