AWARD CATEGORY Internet-based Trial Recruitment
CAMPAIGN Gap Casting Call
AGENCY ePrize
CLIENT The Gap and Kodak
Kids are cute. No doubt that Gap, Kodak and ePrize had that in mind last fall when they brought back the Gap Casting Call, an online search for young models to represent the brand.
One major change over the first iteration in 2006 was the decision to open the call not just to baby girls and boys, but also to boys and girls under age 13. The move greatly boosted response, bringing in 800,000 entries, compared to 360,000 the previous year.
In addition, the public cast more than 500,000 votes on which kids should be the face of The Gap.
“We were pretty blown away by the numbers,” says Olivia Doyne, director of public relations and marketing for The Gap. “I still have parents calling me today and asking if there will be a contest this year. I get a call about once per week.”
Kodak’s EasyShare Gallery again joined in the promotion staged just prior to the holiday season to help drive Web traffic for both the Gallery and Gap.
Consumers uploaded photos of their children to www.Gap.com/Casting Call for a chance to go to a San Francisco photo shoot, a babyGap or GapKids wardrobe, a Kodak Gallery prize package and a chance to see their child’s photo in Gap store windows across the country. Members of the EasyShare Gallery could pull photos from the accounts to submit.
“For Gap, the huge value allows consumers to feel more connected with the brand because they’re inserting themselves and their child into the marketing experience,” says Matt Kates, vice president of strategy for ePrize. “You’re literally putting something of yourself into the promotion and the brand.”
To be eligible, participants were required to register to become members of the EasyShare Gallery. Of those who entered, 16% to 18% were new to it and opted in to receive marketing communications from Kodak. Kodak plans to connect with those people throughout the year with messaging related to the Casting Call promotion.
“This gave us access to hundreds of thousands of our target audience — moms with children — who normally may not have come across our site,” says Stacey Duncan, the segment manager for Kodak Gallery.
All 20 finalists — five from each category — were flown to San Francisco for the photo shoot. This allowed Gap to include the footage in the finalists’ profiles, which offered voters a peek into their personalities. (In 2006, just the winners had their photos professionally taken.)
To add some celebrity power, the winners were announced exclusively on the “Rachael Ray” TV show in January to coincide with the debut of the in-store window posters of the winners.
In-store signage, e-mail, banner and print ads, as well as a plug on “Rachael Ray” supported the promotion, which Gap has decided to make an annual event. — Patricia Odell
IDEA TO STEAL
KIDS RULE
Parents, aunts, uncles and other doting adults like nothing more than to show off the little ones. Launch a promo that plays on kids’ skills, looks or personality and it is sure to deliver.
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