Brand Spotlight: Old Navy

CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS ON A DEEPER LEVEL

The murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked nationwide protests and civil unrest around the treatment of Black Americans throughout the country, and the world. While Americans have been fighting for racial justice for as long as this country has existed, brands are more willing than ever to speak out against racism and they’re calling on U.S. consumers not only to fight racism, but to become actively anti-racist. While corporate and consumer value alignment has cemented itself as an integral part of a brand marketer’s job, the outpour of support for the Black Lives Matter movement in corporate America is unprecedented.

In this week’s Brand Spotlight, we’re doing a deep dive of Old Navy customers. Old Navy’s parent company, The Gap Inc., just recently released an ad featuring five activists and the voice-over of a poem read by 15-year-old feminist and activist Marley Dias. View the 30-second ad below and read on for a deeper understanding of Old Navy customers to find out how this brand successfully aligned their corporate and consumer values during this turbulent time.

WHO IS THE OLD NAVY SHOPPER?

In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Old Navy shopper at a deeper level, we looked at the audience in the Resonate Ignite Platform. According to our proprietary data, this segment of 6.8 million U.S. consumers is mostly made up of married women between ages 25-34 with full-time jobs and no children. When it comes to their personal values, they believe in being in charge, obeying laws and living a life full of excitement. As for what motivates them, they’re driven by romantic love and expressing individuality, which the above ad aligns with, at one point saying, “We gave the world another look and saw a future of differences celebrated.” This sentiment directly taps into the idea of expressing individuality. The ad also states that there is “a world of possibility,” speaking to their value of living a life full of excitement. In the ad, images of protest signs reflect messages that are important to their customers such as, “Black Lives Matter” and “Women’s Rights are Human Rights”. According to the Resonate Ignite Platform, 65% of Old Navy customers believe the police mistreatment of Black Americans is an issue that elected officials should focus on and 67% of this segment believes promoting gender equality is important. Old Navy’s deep understanding of their customers’ values and motivations are clearly reflected in this video.

WHAT ARE THEIR SHOPPING BEHAVIORS AND PREFERENCES?

When it comes to corporate responsibility, this ad successfully taps into the preferences of their customers. This group is 37% more likely than the average U.S. consumer to prefer companies that listen to the public. The ad says, “every voice heard and advocated,” speaking directly to their customers’ desire to do business with a brand that listens to the public. This segment is also 10% more likely than the average U.S. consumer to engage in a company’s societal program and 23% more likely to consider a brand’s reputation a key factor in deciding where to shop.

THESE CONSUMERS ARE ENGAGED IN SOCIAL ISSUES

When it comes to social issues this segment cares about, 75% of them put heavy emphasis on promoting race equality, 67% put heavy emphasis on promoting gender equality and 62% of them put emphasis on promoting paid maternity/paternity benefits to employees. Given the subject matter of the protests, it makes sense that these groups are ready and willing to use their voices to further social causes. So, how are they using their voice? They’re 25% more likely to volunteer for politics, 17% more like to be active in a group and 14% more likely to contribute to a charity. This group is not one that you’ll find on social media, in fact, they’re 25% more likely to not be engaged at all with social media.

OLD NAVY KNOWS THEIR CUSTOMERS

From the visual content featured in the ad to the voice-over, it’s clear that Old Navy tapped into the values, motivations and preferences of their shoppers. By connecting with them on such a deep level, they’re creating long-lasting brand loyalty, which is critical to a brand’s success in today’s environment.

Looking to make this kind of connection with your customers and prospects? Such a deep understanding of consumers requires dynamic, continuously updated insights, which Resonate provides in one easy-to-use platform. Access up-to-the-minute insights on COVID-19 and emerging issues in our latest report, Americans Are Raising Their Voices. Are You Ready to Listen?