Our emotionally driven global campaign celebrated the real unsung heroes in childhood development during the Back-to-School season — after all, 'Back to School' is more than dressing our children for the first day. It’s about dressing our kids character for the rest of their lives. ... [+]
GLOBAL CAMPAIGN : “Back to School. Forward with _________.”
CREATIVE STRATEGY : Back to School is the busiest time of year for kids clothing and many retailers carry the same products at competitive prices. So Gap wanted (and needed!) to set themselves apart by increasing an emotional “value” to their brand. Through this over-arching emotionally driven campaign we were able to celebrate the interconnectedness we all have with one another and place creativity & community at the forefront of progress — which has always been the heart of the GapKids brand.
HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT : The campaign included a 5min documentary short film, 90sec short story films to celebrate each “educator,” 30sec commercial films for paid media along with social content films lead by the children themselves. Beyond film, the campaign included print, social content strategy, digital engagements, local initiatives with “educators” + beyond…
CREATIVE APPROACH : For the first time we helped GapKids create true storytelling content (not just commercial content) and we launched the global campaign with the “It Takes a Village” short documentary film paying tribute to the community heroes that are right now dressing our kids with kindness, confidence, creativity and possibility. And beyond traditional advertising & media placements, Gap was able to get in front of kids & parents by debuting the film in cinemas — tying into the release of the film WONDER, the film adaptation of one of our unsung hero's books.
CULTURAL CONTEXT : Back to School is a pretty ironic term. There’s nothing back about it. It’s all about moving forward. And there has never been a better time to celebrate forward progress and highlight positive role models for others to follow. The film is a celebration of progress. There are everyday people out there, right now, affecting real change; changing our kids future — and our future. By creating honest, raw, and intimate portraits of ordinary people who have done extraordinary things to dress our kids character, our goal is to inspire our viewers to do the same.
IMPACT : While quickly garnering 500,000+ views on Gap’s YouTube Channel, and spreading through cinema, its impact on our kids and community heroes is immeasurable. Following our Campaign, third grade teacher Jasmyn Wright gained widespread local press along with community engagements including Push Through Chants with the Philadelphia Eagles and TedTalks in Dover. She has now become an international speaker — who’s classroom ‘grew to a much larger one.’ Even years later, celebrities and others continued to share and tag the Jasmyn Wright commercial while applauding GapKids support for a more inclusive & empowered future.
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