Gap Joins USA Election Excitement With T-Shirt Campaign

Tuesday 28th of October 2008 03:05:43 PM

Gap Joins USA Election Excitement With T-Shirt Campaign

The Gap stores joined the excitement of the US upcoming presidential election by starting a t-shirt campaign. Plain t-shirts were imprinted with the words, “Vote for _____”. The wearer could then creatively fill in the blank with whatever words he or she saw fit.

The Gap ran this t-shirt campaign in a way that allowed everyday Americans to get some recognition for their beliefs or charities. Wearers could fill in anything they wanted in the blank and not just a candidate name. The wearer could personalize the shirt to reflect their interests, passions or show support for a particular cause. For example, one woman, Betsy Raguse, decided to use the words “Mother Earth, She Needs You” to promote environmental issues.

The t-shirts that were selected as the most creative are being displayed in Gap store windows until the November 4th election. There were 70 different shirts selected. The goal of the campaign is to engage people in the election while also allowing personal freedom of expression.

The Executive Vice President of Gap Marketing is Ivy Ross. Ross was quoted as saying, “Gap has always been about letting individuals express themselves and with so many everyday Americans looking to voice their opinions this election season, we wanted to offer them a nationwide platform to let their voice be heard. This campaign is all about real people and real passions, which is why we thought it was important to include everyday people, like Betsy Raguse, in the campaign. We were blown away by the enthusiasm and talent that these individuals put into their t-shirts and we hope their work inspires others to share their thoughts and ideas.”

T-shirts have been used as mini-billboards for many decades now. They provide the perfect forum for sending a message about something of interest or a concern or an issue.

(c ) Image by Craig Jewell, www.sxc.hu/