The “Unity Hoodie” by GAP
GAP defines itself as a brand that bridges the gap between individuals, cultures, and generations. Just after Election Day 2020, GAP posted a video of a blue and red hooded sweatshirt being zipped up the middle, along with the caption: “The one thing we know is that together, we can move forward.”
With all the tension around because of the election results and the current pandemic, people thought it was just too soon for such an act.
The GAP post was hit hard a lot of Twitter users called out the brand for hypocrisy and tone-deafness regarding two parties who are fundamentally at odds.
With all the criticism being faced, GAP removed the post within two hours of its posting. Along with this GAP tried to control the story by doing an interview with New York Times and releasing an official apology to the public.
The GAP executive in the interview with New York Times said, “The intention of our social media post, that featured a red and blue hoodie, was to show the power of unity,” Furthermore, the hoodie wasn’t actually for sale and the brand accepted that “It was just too soon for this message. The brand remains optimistic that the country will come together to drive positive change for all.”
Yes, GAP could have avoided the whole incident if they could have realized the depths of the social tension that will be caused due to a single post. Before posting such a politically loud post, any brand should calculate the impact it might create.
A silver lining to all this during the time of the election was that GAP gave the public something to take out their anxiety and frustrations on, and perhaps this whole incident served as a warning for other brands to read the room before trying to pull off a similar stunt.
