SAN FRANCISCO – Oct. 3, 2007 – Gap is proud to introduce its latest marketing campaign for (PRODUCT) RED, a for-benefit brand designed to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Captured by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz and featuring a diverse cast of socially-conscious celebrities, the new campaign underscores the idea that it is possible for an individual to change the world.
“Since launching last year, (PRODUCT) RED has contributed more than $45 million to the Global Fund to finance programs that help women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa,” said Marka Hansen, president of Gap Brand North America. “Gap is honored to be a partner of (PRODUCT) RED and we’re excited to continue creating special, limited edition collections that help raise awareness of the epidemics facing Africa, while inspiring people to make a difference in the lives of others.”
Built around a theme of change, Gap’s latest print campaign features celebrities photographed as individuals or together with special friends and loved ones. Each individual in the campaign wears a Gap (PRODUCT) RED item in a way that expresses their own personal style. Thought-provoking questions, such as “Can the shirt off your back change the world?” and “Can the next generation change the world?” accompany the images, helping capture the emotion and power of the individuals in the campaign. Three new celebrities appear in the campaign – actress Anne Hathaway; Grammy Award-winning artist John Legend surrounded by the African Children’s Choir; and Grammy Award-winning musician and producer Wyclef Jean embracing his daughter Angelina. The campaign also reintroduces a series of images that debuted this summer of Terrence Howard and his three children Hunter, Aubrey and Heaven; Natalie Maines alongside her sons Beckett and Slade; and Abigail Breslin with her friend Curious George.
Developed by Laird + Partners, Gap’s creative agency, the print campaign is running in November issues of magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Glamour, Lucky, Marie Claire, GQ and Details. The campaign will also appear in the The New York Times and weekly magazines including US Weekly, Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. In addition, the campaign will be featured in Gap stores, online, and outdoor in select markets.
As part of Gap’s partnership with (PRODUCT) RED, half the profits from Gap’s sales of Gap (PRODUCT) RED collections go directly to the Global Fund to help finance AIDS programs in Africa with a focus on women and children. This month, Gap will introduce the (2 WEEKS) T-shirt, a limited edition T-shirt featuring a compelling message about the direct impact that contributions from the sale of this T-shirt will make to the Global Fund. These funds will support programs which provide HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in Africa. Contributions from the sale of the (2 WEEKS) T-shirt are equivalent to the average cost of 2 weeks of antiretroviral (ARV) medicine in Africa which, along with appropriate nutrition and care, enables people living with HIV to lead healthy, normal lives. To celebrate the debut of this special item, Gap’s new ad campaign features Anne Hathaway and John Legend wearing the (2 WEEKS) T-shirt. The T-shirt will be available at gap.com beginning Oct. 5 and will be available in select Gap stores nationwide later this month.
One year ago, Gap introduced its first (PRODUCT) RED collection for men and women comprised of items rooted in classic Gap product categories such as T-shirts, hoodies, jeans and accessories. Earlier this year, babyGap and GapKids introduced (PRODUCT) RED collections made especially for babies and kids including bodysuits for babies with playful “(RED)” words like DELIVE(RED) and DIAPE(RED), and T-shirts with kid-inspired graphics and embellishments. All of these items are branded Gap (PRODUCT) RED and feature subtle, distinct details inspired by (RED).
About Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. is a leading international specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Piperlime brand names. Fiscal 2006 sales were $15.9 billion. Gap Inc. operates more than 3,100 stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Ireland and Japan. In addition, Gap Inc. is expanding its international presence with franchise agreements for Gap and Banana Republic in Asia and the Middle East. For more information, please visit gapinc.com.
About (RED)™ and (PRODUCT) RED
(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help fight AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to help finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, and Motorola. MySpace.com is the first media sponsor in the United Kingdom and MTV Networks is the first media sponsor in the US.
Since its launch in the spring of 2006, (RED) has contributed more than $45 million to the Global Fund. (RED) money is already at work in Swaziland, Rwanda and Ghana and has already helped provide more than three hundred thousand HIV positive mothers with the treatment needed to help ensure that their children are born healthy and helped put more than 30,000 people on lifesaving antiretroviral medicine.
For more information, visit www.joinred.com.
About the Global Fund
The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a unique global public-private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases. The Global Fund finances one fifth of all global efforts to fight AIDS and two thirds of global expenditure to fight tuberculosis and malaria.
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