Dive Brief:
- Gap on Thursday (Feb. 27) launched its spring campaign, “Feels like Gap,” starring actress Parker Posey, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
- The campaign centers around self expression and includes a 90-second spot, set to the Mette track “Mama’s Eyes,” that features Posey moving freely with a handful of dancers. The effort was brought to life by women creatives including director Talia Collis.
- “Feels like Gap” will span out-of-home, video, social, creator content and Gap-owned channels. Digital elements round out the effort, including a moving look book and an in-store playlist curated by Posey.
Dive Insight:
Gap continues to lean into ‘90s fashion with “Feels like Gap,” an effort meant to inspire personal style while highlighting items including its Baggy Carpenter Jeans, Vintage Cropped Tee and Icon Denim Jacket. The retailer, which also highlighted baggy fits in its fall campaign, joins brands like Old Navy and Calvin Klein in embracing styles from the ‘90s and early aughts.
To showcase its spring collection, Gap has enlisted Posey, an actress known for her roles in a number of independent films through the ‘90s. The star also appears in the current season of “The White Lotus.” A 90-second spot follows Posey as she freely — and somewhat abstractly — moves her body alongside a diverse cast of dancers to pop artist Mette’s 2023 song “Mama’s Eyes.”
A number of industry women creatives helped create and document the campaign, per release details, including director Collis, photographer Amy Troost and choreographer Sadie Wilking. The spring collection and Gap’s choice to tap Posey are designed to help inspire originality, Mark Breitbard, Gap president and CEO, explained in the release.
While Gap’s choice to team with Posey could help it connect with a wider audience, the brand has often sought to engage Gen Z with its recent marketing. In the fall, the retailer tapped pop artist Troye Sivan for a video spot set to “Funny Thing,” a Thundercat song made viral by social media. Previously, the brand launched a campaign based on “Back on 74,” a Jungle single that became a TikTok sensation. Creative for that effort starred singer Tyla.
Gap’s focus on self-expression makes it the latest marketer to push themes of authenticity, joining American Eagle and Levi’s, among others. The effort also comes as Gap Inc., Gap’s parent company, settles into an revamped marketing strategy that last year saw it appoint former PepsiCo marketer Fabiola Torres as global CMO, tasking the exec with bringing greater cohesion across a portfolio that also includes Old Navy and Banana Republic. The company also named Omnicom Media Group its cross-brand media agency of record at the same time.
Gap Inc. saw net sales increase 1.6% year over year in Q3 2024 to $3.8 billion. Store sales fell 2%, while online sales rose 7% and made up 40% of total net sales.
