GAP Case study - Lost Brand Identity!

 

Lost Brand Identity!

Lets zoom into GAP to highlight how AI worked for  it. 

                                                                                      

 Are you a Fashionista?

Seven years back, the NEWS of shutting down GAP in North America may have come as a shock to you, or you might have been one of those far-sighted people who saw this coming already!

 

Gap was one of America's most prominent brands in the 1990s, liked by everyone, including celebrities. Their distinctive look was their casual American style. However, towards the end of the decade, the brand's fortunes deteriorated. What happened, exactly? It appears to be a combination of factors.

 

In 2002, Millard Mickey Drexler, the CEO who was widely acknowledged as the driving force behind Gap's meteoric expansion, came under pressure. The Gap, Inc. saw its most significant sales loss in corporate history after being chastised for abandoning the basics and becoming too fashionable.

 

Drexler was fired, and over the next few years, the company's CEOs came and went. The face of retail transformed throughout that period. Fast-casual competitors like H&M and Forever 21 sprung onto the scene, becoming increasingly popular and captivating the hearts of Millennials all over the world.

 

The critical problem identified was that they were far behind the innovation of their products, which gave an expression that neither they nor their consumer knows exactly who they are targeting.

 

Gap's identity grew blurred as these rising brands became more obvious about their unique selling characteristics.

 

As others have pointed out, Gap's problem is that it has become precisely what Millennials despise: "basic" - the internet generation's favorite epithet right now, meaning uninteresting, clichéd, and blah.

 

To add insult to injury, Gap has grown into a mega-brand with bureaucratic processes that appear to be slow and convoluted, too slow to adjust to trends in the digital age, when Millennials expect everything 'now.'

 

Analysts believe that for Gap to reclaim its consumer base, it must go deep into what made the brand successful in the first place while keeping in mind that times and retail strategies have changed.

 

"They need to get their mojo back by resurrecting their innovator spirit," says Ruth Bernstein, founder, and chief strategic officer at YARD, a strategic image-making agency. "They were never about doing things 'normally,' but always about the American spirit of individuality, which made the brand so simply, brilliantly, and strong."

 

This case study, we believe, is an excellent example of the necessity of establishing, developing, and maintaining a solid brand identity. A brand is a promise; it is an essential part of your business, and its strength and clarity directly impact your ability to achieve your purpose. When you deviate from that brand, people notice, and your company can go from growing to fighting to stay afloat.