<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s one thing Gap\u2019s gonna do, it\u2019s make people dance.<\/p>\n
So far this year, the clothing brand has created two music video-esque campaign spots, much to the delight of the internet. For its spring campaign, \u201cLinen Moves,\u201d singer Tyla dances in what\u2019s essentially a re-creation of the music video for Jungle\u2019s hit single \u201cBack On 74.\u201d And last month, the brand recruited singer Troye Sivan to dance to \u201cFunny Thing\u201d by Thundercat for its fall \u201cGet Loose\u201d campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cLinen Moves\u201d was one of Gap\u2019s \u201cmost successful campaigns to date\u201d in terms of online engagement, Erika Everett, head of marketing at Gap, told Marketing Brew, and her team wanted to keep the momentum going.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe needed to one-up ourselves, essentially,\u201d she told us.<\/p>\n
So far, it seems to be working. A TikTok video from the brand featuring Sivan already has nearly 30 million views and more than 400,000 likes, and some people have re-created the spot, getting their own fair share of engagement. Based on performance to date, Everett told us she\u2019s optimistic this campaign could \u201cpotentially outperform\u201d the last.<\/p>\n
Gap\u2019s song-and-dance campaigns come as part of an 18-month \u201cbrand reinvigoration\u201d that Everett says is centered around participating more heavily in pop culture through social-first content. The goal, she said, is to \u201cdrive relevance with today\u2019s consumer\u201d while also paying homage to the brand\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Gap\u2019s first store opened selling jeans and records,\u201d she said. \u201cSo music will be a key cultural pillar for us going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Re-creating a music video nearly shot-for-shot could seem like a risky strategy at first, opening the brand to being labeled a copycat, but the decision to do so with a few tweaks seems to have paid off. Everett said her team saw Jungle\u2019s music video for \u201cBack On 74\u201d and determined that the brand had an opportunity to tap into the viral dance while also making it its own, dressing the dancers in Gap linen and bringing in Tyla as the face of the spring campaign.<\/p>\n
For the fall campaign, Everett said her team didn\u2019t just want to create \u201cpart two\u201d of \u201cLinen Moves.\u201d \u201cWe knew it had to feel and look different, but at the same time, we knew that we had unlocked a working formula,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, a viral video from the dance troupe CDK Company sparked the creative idea, Everett said. Both Gap\u2019s creative agency and CDK choreographer Sergio Reis independently identified Sivan, who had previously worked with the group on his \u201cRush\u201d music video, as the ideal person to lead the campaign, she said, and the plan was born.<\/p>\n
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
In both instances, partnering musicians and bands together to tap into multiple fandoms helped Gap broaden its reach, Everett said. \u201cWe certainly wanted to make sure that we were leveraging talent and dance ideas and songs, things that have seen some virality, because then you tap into that audience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
It was also important for the spots to look and feel like Gap\u2019s legacy content. \u201cA lot of people on social have been even saying, \u2018This feels like the old Gap\u2019 or \u2018Gap is back.\u2019 We\u2019re getting a lot of that commentary, which feels really good,\u201d Everett said.<\/p>\n
Those observations aren\u2019t for nothing. Everett said Charlie Di Placido, <\/em>one of the directors of the Jungle music video, told her that the brand\u2019s 1998 ad \u201cKhaki Swing\u201d was on his mood board for \u201cBack On 74,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was natural synergy there,\u201d Everett said.<\/p>\n As Gap continues to pull from the vault, Everett said she\u2019s also found inspiration in the @GapPlaylists Instagram account, which features some of the brand\u2019s in-store soundtracks from decades past. That discovery sparked not only a collaboration with the account\u2019s founder, Michael Bise, who is a former Gap employee, but also spurred the idea to create playlists with talent like Tyla and Sivan and share them on social media. Outside of social, customers can also hear those playlists and see the campaign videos on screens in retail stores.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a seed of an idea that we want to grow into something bigger, but it\u2019s one example of how we\u2019re trying to lean into our heritage around music and make it relevant and modern for today,\u201d Everett said.<\/p>\n As Gap readies its holiday campaign, Everett said to expect more music-centric social content. \u201cI don\u2019t think this is the last time you\u2019ll see dance from us, but we know that we\u2019re going to explore music through other avenues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Given that both the spring and fall campaigns center on the ability to move in certain clothes, let\u2019s hope skinny jeans don\u2019t make a comeback before December.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nFace the music<\/h2>\n