Gap leverages digital, social, mobile space in new ad campaign

Gap will launch a fall global marketing campaign called “Back to Blue,” featuring two videos with musicians Dhani Harrison and Alexa Ray Joel, which consumers can watch on TV, desktops and smartphones and tablets.

Gap is complementing its traditional TV schedule through its own social channels, partner sites and mobile advertising, and through a partnership with Twitter. In addition to offering a series of films, interviews, quotes, images and facts about Harrison and Joel that will be featured on digital, social and mobile platforms, Gap will reveal the two videos today, following a contest that rewarded consumers for retweeting special Gap tweets.

Through Promoted Tweets using Twitter's TV ad targeting technology, Gap is broadening the reach of the spots by connecting with consumers who are tweeting about relevant TV shows where Gap already advertises. Gap is also using Twitter to let customers in non-U.S. markets see the ads, which are only running on domestic TV. Other digital extensions of the campaign include featuring iTunes downloads of two songs Joel and Harrison perform in the videos.

"The way people get their information and entertainment has materially and permanently changed,” said Seth Farbman, Gap’s global chief marketing officer. “It's everywhere every minute of the day. While TV still reaches many people at the same time, it's the power of social conversations that turn amazing video content from a commercial into an event. By leveraging a platform like Twitter, we're able to broaden and deepen the emotional power of Back to Blue, long after the spots have stopped airing on the networks."