Gap leveraged social listening to craft its positivity-focused fall campaign theme

Dive Brief:

Gap unveiled its fall 2018 campaign, "Good Creates Good," created in partnership with Yard NYC, according to details provided to Marketing Dive. The effort promotes the retailer's new Soft denim and celebrates what inspires people to feel good and look for the good in others
The campaign features a diverse cast of influencers, including musicians, artists, performers and activists, with reputations for doing good and working to make a positive difference. The content will run across paid social, owned and digital channels.
Gap and Yard NYC also used social listening tools to seek out positive messages on Twitter and partnered with up-and-coming musician and actor Kyle to create a song using the tweets. The piece, titled "All Good," includes the tweets as lyrics to highlight the positive, motivational side of social media.

Dive Insight:

Gap's fall push focused on positivity might connect with consumers on an emotional level given today's polarizing political and social climate. The brand first started centering its messaging strategy more on unity and diversity last year, including through a "Meet Me in the Gap" fall campaign starring Cher and hip-hop artist Future.

The retailer's efforts to highlight the value of social media and its ability to foster connection and creativity come as good sentiments toward the channel are quickly waning amid data privacy scandals, concepts like fake news and more. Consumer satisfaction with social media dropped 1.4% in the American Customer Satisfaction Index's 2018 E-Business Report, and social media overall ranked the lowest among e-businesses.

Gap using social listening to inform its fall campaign theme, including by sourcing lyrics from real motivational tweets, might offset some of that cynicism and communicate authenticity with shoppers. Tapping a variety of influencers who are working on social causes could also create appeal with millennials and Gen Zers, as younger consumers tend to find influencers more authentic and trustworthy than traditional advertising and are often drawn to purpose-led marketing.

Gap's flagship brand has continued to weigh on parent company Gap Inc., which also owns retailers like Old Navy, Athleta and Banana Republic. Gap's comparable sales slipped 5% in second-quarter earnings reported late last month, which CEO Art Peck claimed was "unacceptable," though the executive told analysts he believes the worst is behind the brand.