GAP's PRODUCT (RED) Launch - Best Promotion of 2007

Since I wrote about awards in my last post I would be remiss if I didn't write a post on the winners of the 2007 Pro Awards which were given out last week on the evening of Sept. 18th during the PROMO Live event in Chicago . The PRO Awards are sponsored by PROMO Magazine to recognize the "Best in Promotional Marketing". There were 22 categories this year with three finalists from each category presented at the event and the winners from each announced live.

The Best Promotion of 2007 Award went to the GAP (Product) Red Launch from the promotions agency A Squared Group. Gap was one of a number of brands to license the logo for PRODUCT (RED) which was founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to raise awareness and money for the Global Fund to help HIV/AIDS sufferers in Africa. As a global partner of (PRODUCT) RED, Gap is contributing half the profits from Gap (PRODUCT) RED sales to the Global Fund so the retailer wanted to create some excitement.

An INSPI(RED) backdrop was created for an in-store Oprah taping for an Oct. 13th show that highlighted the Gap’s (PRODUCT) RED collection and generated worldwide press coverage while driving record breaking sales. The company literally rolled out the red carpet for a visit by both Oprah and Bono at their  Chicago flagship store which is a six story building on Michigan Ave. They wrapped the store in words used in the PRODUCT (RED) campaign and inside the store a 20 feet two-tier display was covered with mannequins dressed in Gap's (RED) collection.

This statement from Amy Cotteleer, CEO of A Squared Group, was reported by PROMO...“We created a canvas for them that was a representation of their commitment to the RED cause and really showed that Gap was willing to express that in a larger-than-life way. There were incredible hurdles...We had less than a month to get all these approvals and at every turn they could have told us no. We just kept going back and saying here's why you have to say yes.”

This entry also won the Best Creative Pro Awards category and Best Cause-Based Promotion. According to A Squared Group, Gap.com sold through their first shipment of INSPI(RED) T-shirts within hours after the first airing of the Oprah show. and within 48 hours 30,000 people signed up to receive email alerts. Also, the promotion generated over 150 million impressions with an estimated ad value of $2 million.

You can visit PROMO Magazine to see a complete listing of all finalists in the various categories. The Gap campaign was also a finalist in the Reggie Awards which PMA gave out last March and you can see the case study which was developed by A Squared Group along with more photos and a video they created for the launch. So, don't forget to purchase some PRODUCT (RED)to help out a great cause. You can purchase them here at GAP.com.