Gap in big marketing push; returning to TV ads

New York -- Gap is celebrating its brand heritage with a fall global marketing campaign – Back to Blue – that is one of the broadest reaching in its history. The campaign spans outdoor, direct, social, in store, digital and also includes a return to television.



"Back to Blue means getting back to what matters most – our truest selves, when we are most comfortable in our own skin," said Seth Farbman, Gap's Global chief marketing officer. "It's both a statement of how we feel as a brand, and how our customers want to live their lives and make their decisions."



The campaign includes new digital content every day, across many global platforms, including a partnership with Tumblr's mobile platform. Gap has also updated its Styld.by platform – which partners with popular bloggers and style experts to curate the best fall looks – to include video, with a series on style advice from the costume designer for HBO's hot show, “Girls.”



Extensive lo-fi digital content features 24 influential Millennials sharing simple, raw and relatable stories about what it means to be one's most authentic self. Each wears their favorite pieces from the fall Back to Blue collection in short films, photographs and animated GIFs.



Kicking off with highly visible outdoor advertising in its top markets and magazine advertising in August issues worldwide, campaign features clothing from Gap's fall collection, which is rooted in denim, chambray and classic Gap items. Debuting on TV for the first time in four years, the Back to Blue TV spots will be launched in mid-September.



Starting immediately, Gap is launching a contest on Tumblr, which encourages digital artists to share what Back to Blue means to them by creating an original piece of content. On Aug. 29, the winning works will be featured on Gap's Tumblr and turned into Tumblr mobile ads. This is the first time a brand will own all of Tumblr's mobile ads in one day.