Gap's rock god progeny appeal to post millennials

Ted MarzilliCEO YouGov Direct
October 02, 2013, 5:47 PM GMT+0

Gap’s pair of “classic rock royalty” ads featuring Alexa Ray Joel and Dhani Harrison singing their parents’ classic songs seems to be having better brand perception impact with the 35 and over crowd than millennials.

Since the ads debuted on YouTube on September 13th and television shortly afterward, consumer perception of the Gap brand by adults 35 – 49 has risen modestly and been trending upward, while the boomer demo has remained steadily yet discreetly elevated.

However, coming off a very successful back-to-school perception run from mid-August through mid-September with the Gap, the new ads didn’t appear to work its magic on millennials. Coincidentally, their perception levels fell back to pre-back to school levels shortly after the debut of the “rock royalty” campaign.

Gap was measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which asks respondents, "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" All results were divided into three age demographics: adults 18 – 34, 35 – 49, and 50 and over.

YouGov BrandIndex measurement scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

Here’s a look at the two demos which seems to react the most to Gap’s “rock royalty” campaign: the 35 – 49 age demo went from a Buzz score range of 6 to 7 in early September right up to its present 10. The boomer 50+ demo started September with a 4 score but moved to a consistent 6 to 7 range around the ads’ September 13th debut and has stayed there to this day.

Gap had a big back-to-school season with millennial perception, zooming from a 2 score in early August to 25 three weeks later, and staying in the low to mid-20 range right through to mid-September. By September 16th, as “rock royalty” broke and it was still at its 25 peak, Gap began to descend that by the end of the month, the Buzz score was 3, where it still is today.

Buzz: Gap, (18-34, 35-49, 50+)