ColemanMedia Report

In a clever and daring reverse marketing strategy and a desperate attempt to steal back sliding market share, once-popular retailer The Gap revealed Monday that it has been shipping sex-crazed competitor Abercrombie & Fitch’s fall clothing line to the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore. According to a spokesperson from the San Francisco-based clothing chain, the move is an attempt to make Abercrombie & Fitch’s clothes less desirable by association with the show. “Look, we learned a while ago that we can’t convince anyone that we’re cool anymore,” said Marka Hansen, president at The Gap. “But we can trick people into thinking our competitors aren’t cool either. And what better way to do that than outfit Snooki every time she gets arrested for public drunkenness. I mean, everyone realizes that at this point, the show is just a caricature of itself, so why not drag our competitors down with it?” Ed. Note: Senior Maternity Leave Correspondent Stephanie Felenstein contributed to this story.

San Francisco-based retailer The Gap took out a brand equity loan last week in order to revive sagging sales and brand awareness numbers, according to sources close to the San Leandro branch of Union Bank of California.  The loan, cashing in on decades of brand equity built with highly-acclaimed ad campaigns, is aimed at making the specialty clothier more relevant to the lucrative 13-34 target market after a multi-year slide in popularity and awareness.  ”I think it’s a great move,” said Janette Greeley of Retail Roundup.  ”Our latest studies show that only 12% of females 13-17 plan to make a purchase at The Gap in the next 30 days, and over 72% of males 18-34 didn’t even know that The Gap still exists.  Leveraging decades of amazing advertising to remind people that The Gap offers safe, conservative, and uninspired clothes to go unnoticed in is a great idea.  Because let’s face it, who can tell me the last time they bought something – for themselves – at The Gap?”