Press Release

COMMON AND A STAR-STUDDED CAST ROCK 'PEACE LOVE GAP' IN GAP’S NEW HOLIDAY MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Maria Bello, Seal, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour, Bow Wow, Diane Kruger, Helen Mirren, Taylor Hackford, Deepak Chopra and others are joined by friends and family in Gap’s new 'Holiday In Your Hood' print campaign

SAN FRANCISCO – November 8, 2006 – This holiday season, Gap introduces a new advertising campaign featuring an eclectic cast of celebrities wearing one of Gap’s most iconic clothing items- the hoodie. An evolution of Gap’s commitment to changing the world through the global launch of Gap (PRODUCT) RED, this new campaign focuses on the importance of spreading peace and love this holiday season. It is also about reflecting and celebrating the holiday spirit with the ones you love.

Gap’s holiday print campaign showcases heartfelt images shot by acclaimed photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. The ads capture the mood of the season while emphasizing the importance of being with the ones you love. For the campaign shoot, a diverse group of talented personalities was photographed with someone near and dear to them. From an affectionate image of actress Maria Bello and her mother, to a nose-to-nose shot of Deepak Chopra with his son, to a loving portrait of Stephanie Seymour with her four children - the images evoke the peace and love of the season. Each person in the campaign is photographed wearing a hoodie from Gap’s holiday line. Seal looks laid-back and comfortable in his chocolate brown sherpa-lined hoodie, Stephanie Seymour is cozy in a gray cashmere v-neck hoodie and Claudia Schiffer sparkles in a cream-colored hoodie with gold-trim.

The ads are tagged ‘peace love gap’ and each campaign image has a corresponding message such as believe in your hood, together in your hood and reflect in your hood. With a gold peace symbol prominently featured throughout the print campaign, the images remind us of the powerful message peace brings during the holidays. The print ad campaign, which was developed by Gap’s creative agency Laird + Partners, will run in December issues of publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle, Allure, Glamour, Lucky and Rolling Stone. The campaign also includes outdoor elements such as billboards and bus shelters in select markets. 

"There isn’t a more meaningful time to emphasize the importance of peace and love than during the holidays. We wanted to capture these unspoken emotion in our holiday campaign and what better way to do that than by featuring some of our favorite style makers with their loved ones,” said Trey Laird, creative director for Gap. “We chose to focus on hoodies – everything from hooded sweatshirts to the softest cashmere sweaters – because they are so iconic to Gap and so perfect for the winter season.” 

The holiday TV advertising is comprised of two 30-second spots featuring musician and actor Common rapping “Holiday In Your Hood’, an original song he wrote especially for the campaign. Common’s remake was produced by Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am and the lyrics are set to ‘Holiday”, the song made famous by Madonna. In the spots, energetic dancers, famed deejay Samantha Ronson and Common’s daughter Omoya Lynn, move and groove their way around a forty-foot gold peace sign – the symbol at the center of Gap’s holiday marketing campaign. Each person in the commercial sports one of Gap’s classic holiday hoodies. The ads end as Common flashes a peace sign as he raps “peace love gap”.

Directed by Paul Hunter and developed by Gap’s creative agency Laird+Partners, the “Holiday In Your Hood” TV spot debuts on November 16 and runs through December 13. The commercial will run on national and spot TV in top markets during shows including “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Desperate Housewives”, “Studio 60”, “CSI” and “Prison Break” as well as on national cable networks including MTV, VH1, E! and Comedy Central.