The Gap Takes TV Budget and Tosses It To Facebook

In one of the strangest strategies I've seen, The Gap will use a Facebook page as the focus of an advertising campaign headlined "Born to Fit." The campaign revolves around "a new line of denim wear to help revive its sagging brand," according to ClickZ, a blog dedicated to digital marketing.

The Gap's digital agency, AKQA/San Francisco "created an (iPhone) app called the StyleMixer that lets users mix and match outfits and interact with friends on The Gap's Facebook page," says ClickZ and "the app will also reveal undisclosed 'surprises' when near a Gap store."

The new denim line is called "1969," the year the first Gap store opened. I remember shopping that store, which in those early days sold mostly Levi's brand products. It was located fairly close to San Francisco State in an old theater building, I think, on Ocean Avenue and it was always busy. Everyone was wearing denim in 1969.

The Facebook page was launched last Thursday and, as of this writing, already has 333,038 fans. I was the most recent registrant.