Case Study 1 - Consumerism
For someone with a marketing degree from the University of Texas, Trey Laird has done remarkably well for himself. After ten years of using his selling skills in the fashion industry, Laird recently landed himself an advertising contract with The Gap. Overnight, he became known as the man who spearheaded The Gap's ad campaign, For Every Generation. "It's really been an amazing place to learn and grow creatively," Laird said. He worked with stars-from Wayne Gretzsky to Natalie Imbruglia-to put together ads that appeared in magazines like Vogue, Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone. Each celebrity selected their favorite pair of Gap jeans to wear for the photos. "We worked with each person to create their own look in Gap jeans -keeping it personal, authentic and real," said Laird.
Much of the Gap's success has been attributed to its unique advertising approach, which cost the company $225 million in 1998 alone. Gap CEO Millard Drexler says that the company has worked hard to deliver an international message to consumers-Whether you are six, sixteen or sixty, nothing is more universal than a pair of Gap jeans.
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Despite the efforts of The Gap to turn For Every Generation into a global ad campaign, Ramona Rodriguez has never heard of it. As a matter of fact, she has never heard of The Gap, though she could draw detailed sketches of the outfits made by one of its competitors-Liz Claiborne. At nineteen, Ramona works as a hand-sewer at a factory in El Salvador, supporting herself and her one-year-old baby. During the summer, Ramona works from 6:50 am to 10:30 pm sewing together clothes that will be sold under the Liz Claiborne label during the Christmas season in North America. She gets a half hour break for lunch, and another thirty minutes for dinner. This month Ramona will work seven days a week instead of six. She will make US$8.40 for an eleven hour shift. Some nights, Ramona is so tired that she buys a "No Doze" pill from her supervisor to stay awake.
Ramona cannot afford to buy the Liz Claiborne jackets she sews-it would take over two hundred hours work hours to save enough money. More importantly, Ramona cannot afford to buy the basics she and her daughter need. Sometimes they go to bed hungry; there is no money for vitamins or medicine.
Zoe, a Canadian high school student, knows all about The Gap-she's seen their ads dozens of times while watching Law and Order and West Wing. Zoe isn't crazy about TV commercials-they don't affect her like they do some people, but she does have a few Gap shirts. Zoe doesn't think of herself as someone who is obsessed with appearance, but she admits she feels a pressure to look good.
Zoe works two nights a week at a fast food restaurant. She serves between twenty and thirty customers an hour during peak times, but rarely eats the food herself because she worries about gaining weight. The fluorescent lights give Zoe a headache. Sometimes she wonders why she bothers working at all-but she knows that she needs the money. Zoe budgets about $50 dollars a month for clothes. Though she feels good when she wears a new shirt or sweater to school, the feeling always fades. Sometimes Zoe daydreams about showing up at school and looking so good that everyone stops in their tracks just to stare at her. Zoe remembers this dream when she refuses dessert, or when she buys a new pair of pants.
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