Gap

Résumé du document

We decided to conduct an IMC campaign for Gap because it is a very large and well-known retailer that has not been successful in capturing the student market in the last few years. Gap appeals to us with contemporary designs but the plain style that resulted from a new team of lead designers turned a lot of customers away from Gap's previously fashionable basics.


Lately, Gap's profits have been increasing with the introduction of some newer trendy products but we believe that it has the potential to do much better. Most of the clothing sold in Gap stores have been described as for business and casual wear, but Gap targets mostly college students and people aged between 18 and 24. According to our survey done on college students, most of them are aware of the brand and have shopped earlier at Gap before but did not find its ads convincing enough.

Based on these two inconsistencies in Gap's mission and our research results, we realized that Gap is facing some very serious problems that can be addressed with IMC.

Extraits

[...] Presentation of our research 1. Method used i. Step one: building hypothesis To make sure we were building the right hypothesis, we start our research phase by self analysis, focus groups and a short and open questionnaire to our closest friends (this first questionnaire is in the appendix). This way, we were sure that we could trust the collected data and by interviewing several people, we also made sure that we had not forgotten anything. After the initial research questionnaire, we came up with the following hypothesis: USC students tend to consider Gap an oldfashion and oldschool brand USC students think Gap is not targeting them, but rather more conservative, business casual or East Coast people USC students remember and actually like the Gap ads, but do not feel touched by them, and there is consequently no conversion of the fact of liking the ad to a purchase at Gap. [...]

[...] What are your favourite products at Gap? (Jeans, coats, tops, accessories ) When was the last time you went to a Gap store? What did you think of it? (Clean, modern, fashion, messed up, cheap ) Do you think Gap clothes are designed for people like you, or for other types of people: if so, which type? (Try to see if the person identifies with the brand) What about prices at Gap? (Cheap, expensive?) What about the quality of the clothes at Gap? [...]

[...] - Yes/No 15) If Gap did an on campus promotion with discount prices on clothing, would you be more willing to stop and look as opposed to going to a store? - Yes/No 16) If you were given a free coupon on campus or on the Internet for discounts at Gap, would you go to a Gap store? - Yes/No Source : Datamonitour Marketing Final Report : GAP Sources Euromonitor Database Wikipedia article Gap http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gap_(clothing_retailer) Gap Swot analysis: http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/87331.html Gap website : http://www.gapinc.com/public/Media/Press_Releases/med_pr_GapFallJuly2805.sht ml http://www.gapinc.com/public/Media/Press_Releases/med_pr_Cape022307.shtml Erreur ! Objet incorporé incorrect. [...]

[...] Browsers are price conscious. The Habitual User: Frequent and loyal customers shop based on brands that they like and prefer. Loyalties to those specific brands transcend some other considerations such as price and convenience. Frequent customers may go shopping looking for a specific item that they saw in an ad, but are more likely to avoid newer stores and stick to the ones that they have purchased at before. The Trendsetters and Innovators: these consumers are the fashion forward and tastemakers that shop at GAP for key, classic pieces to complement an outfit. [...]

[...] We just plan to use them to promote the on campus events and the online contest. Even if few people actually see or hear those ads, we believe they'll still be effective as college students might then spread the information through word of mouth Budget V. Creative 1. Appeals Through the “what's your favorite basic?” ads, we will be utilizing several appeals: - A feature/benefit appeal will be shown through the variety of looks that can come from one Gap piece. [...]