Old Navy launched its first campaign specifically targeting men in 2011. It has appealed to guys in the past through its broad family-focused advertising. But this time Old Navy planned to speak directly to "Mike," its 25- to 35-year-old target. The purpose of this case is to evaluate Old Navy's move to target young men and how the company could better utilize mobile media and social media to reach this target market.
Read these articles related to a mobile marketing campaign by Old Navy:
Men Hear Old Navy's Call to "Dress Like a Guy" (2011, June 22). Forbes online. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandindex/2011/06/22/men-hear-old-navys-call-to-dress-like-a-guy/#12a697d74ebf
Compare this mobile marketing campaign to its predecessor, which also led to the departure of Old Navy's marketing director:
Crang, D. (2012). Next generation strategies for advertising to millennials. comScore, Inc.
Elliott, S. (2011, February 17). Old Navy replaces mannequins with music. New York Times.Retrieved from
https://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/old-navy-replaces-mannequins-with-music/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
Tansley, I. (2013). 8 reasons why men are trading in-person shopping for online retail. Forbes. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/iantansley/2013/10/24/8-reasons-why-men-are-trading-in-in-person-shopping-for-online-retail/
Smith, C. (2015). The surprising facts about who shops online and on mobile. Business Insider. Retrieved from
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-surprising-demographics-of-who-shops-online-and-on-mobile-2014-6
Kaplan, M. (2011). Behavioral differences between men and women influence shopping. Retrieved from
https://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3222-Behavioral-Differences-Between-Men-and-Women-Influence-Shopping
Requirement:
Imagine you have been hired as a consultant to the VP of marketing for Old Navy, a subsidiary of Gap Inc. The VP wants to get an objective opinion from someone outside the company who is familiar with current marketing basics.
Your job is to write a short memo of 750-1500 words critically analyzing Old Navy's promotion strategy. In particular, note that the company has decided to use online video instead of television. Make sure to address the following issues:
Question 1. Evaluate the choice of young adult males as a target for an Old Navy promotion.
Question 2. In choosing mobile media for this campaign, what assumptions were made about the viewing habits of this target? Do you believe these assumptions are valid? What would you recommend regarding this choice?
Question 3. What do you think of the creative strategy chosen for this campaign? With the increasing popularity of social media, what would you recommend to Old Navy regarding its online promotion strategy? Explain why.
In particular, show your understanding of the way a change in target market affects the company's promotion strategy. Also, give some thought as to how this campaign meshes with other elements of Old Navy's marketing program, for example, merchandising (product management), store environment, and pricing, and where this all fits in GAP's brand portfolio.