Gap: Working Conditions & Policies

GAP LABOUR

Create an advertising parody that highlights environmental / ethical and sustainable issues to an audience of young people. The target audience are age 15 to 25.

Gap is a store that stands for all those good American values and, you might say uniquely, they extend these values to their factories in developing countries. You could call this the globalisation of the American dream. For instance employees in their factories in the Far-East are encouraged to work hard. with contracts often forbidding them to quit work. In a bid to link promotion to individual merit employees are encouraged to think and act for themselvesand are forbidden to join employee unions. Traditional White-Anglo Saxon Protestant ethics are promoted.as employees are frequently banned from attending religious ceremonies in place of work and loyalty is rewardedemployees have allegedly been fired for trying to complain.

Contractual specifics aside, Gap had been a leading example of the business benefits of operating a manufacturing sweatshop in the less developed countries in which it operates. By paying employees low wages in unhealthy and unsafe working environments the company maximises their profit margins. They have large operations in Saipan, a region that has seen over 1000 citations of inhumane working conditions from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the United States. Yet Gap continues to operate in Saipan. It is not unrealistic to assume that Gap Sweaters are made largely from sweat.

But why are we not mad at Gap? Surely Gap is a wholesome, traditional, American company? After all, aren't some of their advertisements in black and white?! They have commercials where everyone is happy and looks down to earth. Where all races, creeds and colours are seen wearing Gap clothing. Often they're shoeless! Surely this company would never exploit? Are they not the Body Shop of fashion? Gap's enduring image in the West remains one of a good value company with good values. They have created an image we can relate to - non-elitist. This is reflected in their meagre use of celebrities to front campaigns and, when they do, it is always carefully selected, caring celebrities such as Willie Nelson or Macy Gray. People who reflect none of the negative characteristics commonly associated with celebrities such as greed, exploitation, and poor treatment of those 'beneath them' .sound familiar? Maybe Gap should think about using a Jennifer Lopez or a Mariah Carey. Surely these celebrities have more in common with their sweatshop principles?

GAP KIDS

The creation of Gap Kids stores was an incredibly successful business venture by Gap Inc. For the first time children in American and latterly the UK were given a store that treated provided them with more sophisticated, grown-up fashion than the typical children's clothing stores. Gap Kids stores treated children like adults and in a remarkable show of consistency, Gap clothing factories did exactly the same thing (only this time not in America but in countries like Indonesia, China and the Taiwan).. 'Gap's Kids' in these factories were expected to work long, punishing hours, tied to restrictive contracts and paid incredibly low wages.much like their adult co-workers. Gap Inc has truly embraced the power of the child market in every sense.

GAP ENVIRONMENT

Willy Nelson recently fronted a Gap advertising campaign. You know Willie Nelson, the Country and Western Singer? The guy with Native American style pig-tails? The guy who believes passionately in saving the environment amongst other hippy-based 'green' values? What better way to say that Gap cares about the environment then to have Willy Nelson, dressed from head to toe in Gap attire, playing his guitar singing wholesome songswhilst the CEO and Chair of Gap Inc oversees the deforestation and toxic herbicide spraying of 256,000 acres of Louisiana woodland. John Fisher (son of Gap CEO and Chair Don Fisher) purchased the Louisiana land under the company Sansome Forest Partners. This company is part of the Fisher group of which Gap is a member. The interests and ethical practices of these businesses are therefore inextricably linked to each other.

This close relationship was reflected by the actions of both local and national environmental groups who launched public campaigns against Gap for what was seen as their actions in Mendocino country, Louisiana - home of the last remaining unprotected Redwood trees in the state. Although gap CEO Don Fisher tried to divorce Gap from the actions of Sansome Forest Partners he felt compelled nonetheless to reassure us that Gap was our environmental friend. After all Gap are a self-proclaimed leader in environmental responsibility (even Willie Nelson shops there for heaven's sake!). So Gap reassured us with these two promises:

1. We will operate with respect and sensitivity to the environment wherever we do business.

2. We will encourage our employees to take individual steps to protect and restore the environment, and empower them to ensure that company activity is consistent with our environmental policies. (Source, www.stanford.edu)

Remember that Gap had nothing to do with this environmental scandal, they just felt compelled to remind us how environmentally aware they are.

The theory behind the Gap's advertising campaigns

Audience theories

In their 1974 theory, Blumler and Katz put forward the assertion that individuals actively consume and use the media to meet certain needs. There are four basic audience needs; diversion, personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance. Of these four needs Gap cleverly exploits the personal relationship and personal identity of the consumer with their products. The use of wholesome, appealing, down-to-earth advertising campaigns establishes a brand image that many consumers can relate to and are pleased to be associated with - unpretentious, simple, earthy, good value, quality..and surely not exploitative!

Halloran (1974) elaborates on the theories of Blumler and Katz to provide a more scientific theory that may explain Gap's advertising strategy and manipulation of their own image to satisfy the consciences of their customers. The theory referred to is known as 'Reception Theory' or 'Audience Positioning'. This is the business of the relationship between media content (e.g. a Gap television advert) and audience. The idea here is that media texts can be seen as being structured according to defined codes and conventions (known as semiology). So, the semiology does something to the audience and the audience is positioned by the text. In other words, their adverts, much like their third-world factories, are specifically designed to exploit, only in this case it is the senses and perceptions of the consumer that are being exploited. It is direct and blatant but does not come across as such. All advertisers do it, but Gap more successfully than others.

Communication theories

From the seven traditions of communication theory provided to us by Craig (1999) it is arguable that Gap use socio-psychological and socio-cultural methods of influencing us - the audience - through their advertisements. Socio-psychological campaigns centre on expression, inter-action, & influence Gap makes us feel good about ourselves. Their clothes look good and would make us look good. You don't have to be a superstar to afford them or wear them. Therefore we feel Gap is a company that cares about us. We like that whether we admit to it or not.

Socio-cultural communications theories establish and/or reinforce social order. Whilst this may sound overly profound, it explains that what Gap are actually doing with their campaigns are telling us where they are positioned in society and consequently where we will be positioned if we wear their clothes. Their 'down-to-earth' campaigns, shop-designs, logo and clothes range reassures us that they are just like us and massages the unpretentious, value-seeking, appearance conscious side of our personalities. These subconscious influences in Gap's advertising are strong enough to overcome any lingering doubt we have about the ethical conduct of the company. This is a direct result of the product positioning. The use of words such as 'authentic' in their advertising campaigns further divorces the image of Gap and mass-producing sweat shop factories in the Far-East in our minds. And vast areas of woodland being destroyed? Not by these guys!

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Conclusion

Gap shows us how successful an effective, modern marketing strategy can be not just in helping to increase sales figures but also in helping a company's public relations and reinforcing a positive corporate image. If nothing else, the example of Gap shows us just how susceptible we are to marketing influences and the shallowness of the consumer who chooses overwhelmingly to ignore huge ethical misdemeanors in order to satisfy their wants for good value, quality and image.

Bibliography

Asmus, P (2004); Business Ethics 16th Business Ethics Awards; www.business-ethics.com - 22/04/05

Blumner, J.G & Katz, E (1974); The Uses of mass communications; current perspectives on gratifications research; Beverly Hills; Sage Publications

Craig, R.T. (1999); Communication theory as a field; Communication Theory, Vol 9 Issue 2

Halloran, J.D (1977); The Audience; Milton Keynes; Open University Press

Students for Informed Career Choices (2002); Gap Inc; www.stanford.edu/group/SICD/Gap/gap.html - 22/04/05

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