Gap Jeans: "BORN TO FIT" Direct marketing by Akqa

Category: Direct Response Digital: E-commerce, Online Advertising, Brand Awareness & Social Media
Advertiser: GAP
Product/Service: JEANS
Agency: AKQA
Date of First Appearance: Aug 12 2009 12:00AM
Entrant Company: AKQA, San Francisco, USA
Entry URL: www.facebook.com/gap
Chief Creative Officer: Rei Inamoto (AKQA)
Creative Director: Shira Bogart (AKQA)
Art Director: Hideki Owa (AKQA)
Designer: Josh Gross (AKQA)
Copywriter: Miranda Maney (AKQA)
Interaction Designer: Dan Linsky (AKQA)
Interaction Designer: Mary Choi (AKQA)
Associate Director of Creative Development: Ronnie Liew (AKQA)
Creative Developer: Eiji Muroichi (AKQA)
Creative Developer: Tore Holmberg (AKQA)
Creative Developer: Jeremy Ruppel (AKQA)
Creative Developer: Jeremy Gray (AKQA)
Web Developer: Maurice Chang (AKQA)
Software Engineer: Sanjay Gulati (AKQA)
Technical Manager: Andrew Owen (AKQA)
Senior Project Manager: Kim Paulus (AKQA)
Senior Account Director: Julie Channing (AKQA)
Management Supervisor: Victoria Graham (AKQA)
Account Executive: James Tinsley (AKQA)
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Describe the brief/objective of the direct campaign.
The digital campaign for Gap’s 1969 Premium Jeans —Born to Fit— marks a first in the fashion industry as Gap launches one of the most robust consumer experiences to-date using a range of social media platforms. By harnessing the most popular social media platforms, the ambitious digital campaign reached fashion leaders and fashionistas, Gap customers and even sceptics to encourage conversations around Gap’s reinvented line of jeans.

Explain why the creative execution was relevant to the product or service.
By transforming Gap’s existing fan page into the ultimate denim destination, consumers explored fit and style details, virtual runway shows, multimedia fashion tips, and more so they could find their ideal fit, style it out, and share with friends. Understanding that Gap’s target is often on the go, we also developed a social shopping tool on the iPhone that enables users to mix and match clothes, find inspiration, and get advice. Outfits are easily shared on Facebook and within the iPhone community for feedback.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective with reference to the projected response rates and desired outcome.
Gap has always been known for their denim but not loved for it. In 2009, Gap sought to change that perception by offering high quality denim redesigned from the ground up. The agency's objective was to help Gap regain credibility in premium denim by engaging 25-35 year old professionals online and educating them about the new line of ; Born To Fit denim. Recognising Facebook as a forum for self-expression and connecting with friends, the agency transformed Gap’s fanpage into the ultimate denim destination, arming consumers with fit details, fashion tips, and more. Putting the site on Facebook gave our target the chance to pass it on to their friends, spreading credible word of mouth around Gap denim. Customised banners, outdoor media and print drove consumers to the Facebook experience; while the viral nature of Facebook helped existing fans spread the campaign to their social circles.

Describe the results in as much detail as possible with particular reference to the RESPONSE of the target audience including deliverability statistics, response rates, click throughs, sales cost per response, relationships built and overall return on investment.
The campaign reached over 37 million unique users and garnered 52 million additional impressions through Facebook. The Gap fan page surpassed 470 000 fans – an increase of 43% across the campaign – providing Gap with an audience who has opted in for valuable, ongoing communication. The innovative iPhone app was also featured in Apple’s fall TV campaign, resulting in significant downloads of StyleMixer even after our Gap campaign ended. And most importantly, a Nielsen BuzzMetrics sentiment study proved positivity towards Gap denim outweighs negativity by a 4:1 ratio. More consumers said the jeans are comparable or better than premium competitors.