Gap’s Unity Hoodie and the Biggest 2020 Election Branding Fails
It’s Thursday, November 4th at 10:32 a.m. ET. The Democrats have all but lost the Senate, the GOP is gaining on the House, a handful of states teeter on the thin line between red and blue, President Trump has barricaded himself in the White House, then declared victory, then been flagged by social media moderators for spreading falsehoods, pollsters are having a glass of wine or whatever and chilling out. But Gap is confident they have the tweet to bridge America’s divide once and for all. You see, they’ve grafted two sweatshirts together—one red, one blue— for a reconciliatory GIF. “The one thing we know,” @Gap tweets, “is that together, we can move forward.💙❤️”
The tweet was gone within two hours, and not just because the zippered “A” was wildly out of alignment. In the middle of an election that could decide whether the eight million Americans who recently entered poverty will see a stimulus bill this century, some of the video’s 700,000 viewers weren’t keen on a merch drop, roundly mocking the post on Twitter. “The intention of our social media post, that featured a red and blue hoodie, was to show the power of unity,” a Gap spokesperson told The New York Times. “It was just too soon for this message. We remain optimistic that our country will come together to drive positive change for all.”
Gap’s blunder stood out, but it was not an isolated incident. The tweet arrived after weeks of brand promotions and commercials packaging toothless calls for civic engagement alongside well-lit product placement. “Get a free day to perform your civic duty when you book 2+ days from one of our neighborhood locations,” one Hertz rental car promotion read. “Drink Responsibly, #VoteResponsibly.” tweeted Absolut Vodka. Streaming services plastered “VOTE” stickers on the albums of artists from Alice Cooper to Peter, Paul, and Mary. On Election Eve, Adidas told customers in a promo email that “the biggest drop is tomorrow.” They meant their limited edition apparel.
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