madcomments

Mind the Gap

Posted in Marketing, Direct Marketing, Mel Varley November 23rd, 2007 by Melinda Varley

Over the past week I have received two Gap vouchers in my inbox, one for 30 per cent off and the other for 60 per cent off. We are now in the key Christmas trading period so why is Gap giving away big discounts during its busiest time of year?

Of course the 60 per cent voucher is actually a fake. But the 30 per cent is legitimate. But will it help Gap regain consumer confidence in the brand after a damming year of exposés into the sweatshops that make their clothing?

Throughout the year, Gap has come under fire after the Observer ran a story on the sweatshops in India which employ children from the age of 10. It story stated that such sweatshops were supplying clothing to Gap, but the retailer denied any knowledge of this.

Soon after the news, Gap’s senior vice president, Stanley Raggio, flew from San Francisco to New Delhi to meet the anti-sweatshop charity the Global March Against Child Labour, to hammer out proposals to tackle child labour.

To further mend its reputation Gap also said it would introduce “sweatshop free” labels…which are yet to be seen.

So, when all of a sudden these vouchers arrived in my inbox it seemed as if Gap was running out of ideas to get customers in store. And in the lead up to Christmas, when most of us are shopping frantically, it’s actually a good idea.

However, how will it wipe clean its reputation for using sweatshops, whether they knew about it or not? Some ethical shoppers are unforgiving and all publicity isn’t always good publicity.

Will the voucher scheme encourage shoppers through its doors by offering a chance to pick up some cheap clothes? Or will we take the moral high-ground and boycott the brand for ethical reasons?

To read the news story related to this blog, go to mad.co.uk