The document discusses the brand strategy of Gap. It notes that Gap epitomizes casual American style and positions itself in the mid-level apparel market, offering affordable yet high quality clothing. However, it faces competition from brands like Uniqlo that invest heavily in product research and development. The document suggests some areas Gap could improve like focusing its message and reducing its diverse product offerings that dilute its perceived quality.

1. G+G
challenge:
The
Gap
Sarah
Lee
Shan
Yun
1. Discuss
the
brand
strategy
of
the
Gap.
The
Gap,
as
a
brand,
epitomizes
casual
American
style.
It
is
accessibly
priced
to
be
inclusive
to
the
everyday
person,
though
still
managing
to
retain
a
sense
of
value
over
other
competing
fast
fashion
brands.
The
Gap’s
retail
prices
position
the
brand
within
the
mid-­‐level
high
street
segment
of
the
apparel
industry,
offering
customers
high
quality
products
at
affordable
prices.
Its
global
presence
in
over
40
countries
is
evidence
of
its
mass-­‐
market
appeal
despite
its
American-­‐centric
branding
strategy.
Its
simple,
easy
and
comfortable
clothing
cater
to
the
needs
of
a
wide
variety
of
consumers
in
the
market,
from
kids
to
millennials
and
working
professionals.
Effortlessness
is
always
at
the
center
of
The
Gap’s
branding
message
be
it
the
Gap’s
GapFit
sportswear
collection
or
its
GapKids
line,
which
makes
the
brand
very
appealing
to
the
modern
person
of
today.
2. Why
Uniqlo
is
a
competing
brand?
Uniqlo’s
position
in
the
market
is
very
similar
to
that
of
the
Gap,
especially
price
wise.
Both
brands
have
tremendous
global
presence
and
occupy
the
same
competing
space
in
many
markets
despite
coming
from
opposite
ends
of
the
world.
However,
Uniqlo’s
advantage
comes
from
its
heavy
investment
in
researching
and
developing
a
smaller
number
of
technically
superior
clothing
–
such
as
outerwear
and
waterproof
garments,
though
retaining
its
affordable
pricing.
This
high
product
value
could
spell
trouble
for
brands
like

2. The
Gap,
who
find
it
difficult
to
match
Uniqlo’s
quality
goods
with
its
over-­‐
diversified
product
line.
3. What
are
some
areas
of
improvement
that
the
Gap
could
work
on?
As
mentioned
above,
the
Gap’s
multiplicity
of
product
offerings
makes
the
brand’s
overall
message
of
quality
very
hard
to
define.
Although
clothing
overall
is
of
superior
quality
brands
like
Forever21,
it
is
difficult
for
consumers
to
decide
whether
every
one
of
its
products
is
of
value
in
terms
of
price.
Certain
diffusion
brands
like
The
Gap’s
Athleta
offer
products
at
a
higher
price
range
than
the
brand’s
core
business
($100
for
a
pair
of
leggings
from
Athleta
VS
$30
for
a
T-­‐shirt
from
the
Gap),
which
could
dilute
its
affordability
strategy
in
the
long
run.
Another
one
of
the
Gap’s
weaknesses
is
again
the
blurriness
in
terms
of
its
marketing
campaigns.
A
year
ago,
the
Gap
launched
its
Dress
Normal
campaign
headed
by
the
advertising
agency
Wieden
+
Kennedy,
which
despite
efforts
failed
to
drive
sales
up.
The
Gap’s
struggle
to
find
its
identity
could
be
the
reason
why
the
namesake
brand
is
unable
to
compete
with
more
popular
fast
fashion
chains
like
H&M
and
Uniqlo,
who
offer
more
clear-­‐
cut
messages
in
terms
of
their
brands.
4. What
are
stereotypes
of
the
Gap?
The
Gap
is
often
stereotyped
with
being
an
American-­‐only
brand,
which
is
misleading
for
many
global
consumers
(especially
in
Eastern
markets
like
Asia).
It
is
also
very
connected
to
the
idea
of
casualness
or
everyday
style,
which
could
create
barriers
for
the
brand
should
they
wish
to
enter
new
markets
with
higher-­‐end
product
lines,
or
even
feature
prominent
celebrities

3. in
their
marketing
campaigns,
who
could
pose
a
threat
to
the
brand’s
relatable
strategy.
5. Who
is
the
Gap
marketed
to?
The
Gap’s
target
audience
is
every
person
who
dresses
casually
at
some
point
of
their
day.
Their
price
range
targets
consumers
looking
to
invest
in
long-­‐
lasting
everyday
clothing,
which
could
be
aimed
demographically
at
mid-­‐to-­‐
high-­‐income
earners.
It
is
aimed
at
an
English-­‐speaking
majority
who
are
exposed
to
the
American
lifestyle
by
way
of
living
or
through
exposure
through
television,
film,
media,
etc.,
which
could
be
a
psychographic
aspect
of
the
Gap’s
marketing
strategy.
Despite
all
of
these
specific
marketing
decisions,
the
Gap
is
essentially
a
global
mass-­‐market
brand
aimed
at
every
age
group,
made
available
through
its
many
product
lines
(GapKids,
Gap
maternity,
etc.)
It
is
therefore
difficult,
if
not
impossible,
to
identify
a
single
consumer
profile
for
the
Gap,
which
makes
it
a
challenge
for
marketers,
as
continuous
research
and
adaptation
is
needed
to
cater
to
changes
in
the
market.