Advertising can suck and often does. We accept that. What I have a hard time with is the combination of imbecility and ubiquity as evidenced by the above Gap ad.
Put the "It" in Fit.
OK.
Now what the fuck does that mean?
"$20 off jeans for you."
Oh, I thought I could only save if I "gifted" these jeans.
Not long from now, we'll read the news that the Gap, suffering from a major sales slump, will be closing 342,769 of its 948,923 stores. They will blame it on shift in consumer habits and the transitory and capricious nature of retail.
I will laugh and say that the cause was smarmy, banal and me-too marketing that did nothing to unique-ify of create lust for their products.
4 comments:
But tell me Mr. T, is the work you produce sheer brilliance? Advertising is a craft at best, not an art. Most of it is crap, little of it exceptional, even less looks even relevant 3 three to four years later. Its advertising not high art. Do the best you can. It will get watered down in the end.
Sure, Anonymous, we can't always hit a home run. But when a client has a strong brand, the advertising is automatically better.
I agree with George. The Gap is in deep doo doo. Not because of one lame ad, but because of what this one lame ad indicates about what The Gap stands for.
Work is tough. A lot of times we are forced into compromise. A lot of times we simply miss. A lot of times we just suck.
I've never done anything quite as horrid as this Gap effort. And never ratiocinated myself into believing crap is good.
Read Dave Trott's blog from the other day. Too often, we treat each ad as though it is precious. We try so hard to find that unicorn that we fail to see the good and great work that's right in front of our faces. Relax. Anonymous 1 is partly right. We're not creating art. Just do a good job, then go home and get a good night's rest. Or drink yourself into a stupor as I do.
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