When social media advertising works better than TV
In the old days Gap would have splashed out on TV advertising to launch its new line of jeans, featuring famous actors like Nastassja Kinski, Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler. In this brave new world of social media it’s done the obvious thing and created a Facebook page instead.
There will still be posters, print ads, and cinema commercials, but their main aim will be to drive traffic to the Facebook fan page. This includes an interactive gallery, links to the Gap website, and videos and commentary from Gap designers and engineers.
There’s also an iPhone app that lets users can mix and match outfits and get feedback from Facebook friends and the iPhone community.
It sounds a bit lame, but it makes sense. For one it’s a lot cheaper: the fashion retailer has had to scale back its marketing spend as its sales slump during the recession. But there are times when the interactivity that social media provides can work just as well as conventional channels, especially when there’s a good demographic fit.
Some other posts you'll find interesting:
- The Social Media Feedback Loop
- Facebook advice for brands
- Which works best for marketers – Twitter or Facebook?
