For their Fall 2018 ad campaign Gap teamed with Stephen Niedzwiecki & Ruth Bernstein of Yard NYC to take the power of ‘positive messaging’ up a notch in a digital program entitled Good Creates Good.
The campaign is in many lays a layered cake. At the base is Gap’s core values of optimism and positive messaging. Add a layer of today’s ability for anyone to have a global megaphone and you get the basic layers of the cake. However, just because anyone has the means to speak globally doesn’t mean they add value to the narrative. That’s where the filter of positive influence and impact came into play as the team at Yard NYC combed the tangled threads of social media to identify positive influencers from varied backgrounds who all had heartfelt global impact. One guess whose tweets didn’t make the cut.
The unifier to the campaign was Kyle, an upcoming rapper, singer, songwriter and actor, who has become synonymous as an artist who celebrates love, light, and positivity. Since Gap has always had one foot in the music scene it was only natural that Yard NYC then task him to come up with a song. However, when you have a world of influencers putting out positive poetry daily, the campaign found the hook in creating a song of lyrics of positive tweets.
The song entitled “All Good” pulls lyrics from the tweets to show there is a positive, motivational side of social media. To drive that point home, the campaign comes with a video to visually represent that the lyrics where plucked from social.
The additional cast for the campaign includes multiple musicians, artists, performers, and activists who have existing reputations as advocates for positivity, are clearly dedicated to doing good and are change agents across generations and gender. These other notable influencers partaking in the campaign include:
– Madame Gandhi, musician and women’s rights activist, whose music and activism focuses on female empowerment and feminism
– Kimberly Drew, art curator and BLM activist, who serves as Social Media Manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and champions black artists
– Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, indigenous environmental activist, hip hop artist, and youth director of Earth Guardians, a worldwide conservation organization
– King Princess, singer and songwriter who is vocal about LGBQT rights
– Notoriously Dapper, body-positive men’s fashion blogger that displays daily looks to inspire all men to embrace who they are
– Topher Brophy, animal rights activist and social media influencer who is renown for posting socially-conscious and wildly imaginative photos
– Noor Tagouri, acclaimed reporter and political activist who has fused modes of intimate storytelling with a commitment to combat normative stereotypes
– Alejandro Chal or A.CHAL, Peruvian R&B singer-songwriter and producer, who is outspoken about immigration issues and DACA
– Carlotta Kohl, artist and feminist who uses her artwork and the power of social media to explore and express the experiences of women
– Ezinma, classically trained violinist who has collaborated with numerous famous jazz, R&B, pop, hip-hop artists
– Chella Man, deaf and transgender artist, columnist and model who is working to educate people on queer disabled culture
That talent pool offers a lot of meaningful and welcome goodness in a time when positivity is in short supply. And if anyone can understand how an optimistic outlook and positive messaging can help turn things around, it is Gap. Good creating good.
Agency | Yard NYC
Co-Founder/Chief Creative Officer | Stephen Niedzwiecki
Co-Founder / Chief Executive Officer | Ruth Bernstein
Talent | Kyle, Madame Gandhi, Kimberly Drew, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, King Princess, Notoriously Dapper, Topher Brophy, Noor Tagouri, Alejandro Chal, Carlotta Kohl, Ezinma, & Chella Man
Executive Director Strategy & Digital Innovation | James Denman
Executive Creative Director | Matthew Jerrett
Creative Director | Michael Bird
Art Directors | Sofia Glimnell & Steven Williams
Copywriter | Kira Pack
Jr. Copywriter | Leah Keiter
Acct. Supervisor | Bobby Bush
Project Manager | Lucie Hajian
Head of Production | Kirsten Arongino
Sr. Producers | Molly Dowd & Jane Minehan
Production Coordinator | Katrina Allick
Gap Chief Marketing Officer | Craig Brommers
Gap VP / Creative Director | Matt Wright
Gap Dir. Global Marketing Communications | Jo Di Stasi
Gap Sr. Manager, Global Marketing Communications | Kyle Richard