Gap China wins Campaign's Brand of the Year 2011

The brand will receive its recognition at the sell-out Agency of the Year awards presentation, taking place on 13 December at the St. Regis Hotel in Singapore.

When Gap China was about to launch four stores in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as its online site last November, it was faced with relatively low brand awareness. Only 30 per cent of target consumers in China recognised the brand or name.

Its challenge was to not only make the brand relevant for local consumers, but to also promote the cultural and heritage elements that are part of the Gap brand story. This had to be reflected across product, pricing strategy and marketing, the brand said. 

The solution was a high-profile campaign, launched with print and outdoor executions in November 2010. Created by Y&R Shanghai, the 'Let's GAP together' campaign set out to position Gap as 'cool and charismatic', with appeal to China's young 'Golden generation'.

The visuals were shot by US fashion photographer Annie Leibovitz and featured Western and Eastern faces - each pairing aimed at creating an image of unity, creativity and individuality.

The campaign was a success, gaining 50 per cent overall awareness in four months and getting 2.2 million consumers interacting with the brand online.

According to the brand, this is just the first phase in a long-term multi-channel strategy that will see more stores launched throughout the country - including the recent launch in Hong Kong.

The 2011 Brand of the Year is one of more than 30 awards that will be presented at Campaign Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year Awards on December 13. The gala event has now sold out of tickets, with more than 450 industry leaders from around the region registered to attend.

For more information on the event, or to join the wait list, please contact Xin Yan Kek (+65 6579 0544 or [email protected]).