| By Jean Scheidnes
NEW YORK (Reuters) - She made her name wearing risque, provocative clothes few would wear in public, but now Madonna (news - web sites) has become a pitch woman for Gap Inc. , which sells jeans to millions of Americans.
Back in the 1980s, Madonna burst onto the scene wearing lingerie and later toured in a conical bustier designed by haute couture master Jean Paul Gaultier. Now the Material Girl is hawking khakis and denims that are among the most the most popular clothing items in the United States.
The pop star will appear in Gap's fall advertising campaign, spokeswomen for both parties said on Wednesday.
San Francisco-based Gap, the top U.S. specialty apparel retailer, said the company has signed Madonna as well as rapper Missy Elliott to appear in upcoming television commercials.
Above all, Madonna is known as a chameleon able to reinvent her image to stay on the cutting edge of pop culture. Gap, on the other hand, made its name with predictable, affordable clothes that appeal to average Americans more than fashion mavens.
Marketing experts applauded the move as a coup for Gap.
"She's connected inexorably in our minds to the fashion world. Having her connected to the Gap is fantastic for their brand," said Nicki Gondell, president of New York-based marketing consulting firm Trend House.
"She is a master of expressing herself and she can give style and pizazz to anything," she added.
Madonna has done few endorsements over the years.
In 1989, Pepsi pulled a commercial featuring the singer, claiming that too many people confused the ad with her controversial "Like a Prayer" music video, which offended Catholics.
Gap faces a critical test this fall, when it must prove it can keep a turnaround going. The retailer recently began to win back customers after a narrow focus on teen-oriented trendy clothes set off a two-year decline in sales.
"Gap went for a younger image and it didn't work for them. So I think they want to go back and attract the soccer moms. (Madonna's) a mom herself, she's not the teeny-bopper anymore," said Charlene Li, media and marketing analyst for Forrester Research.
The younger Madonna seemed to thrive on provoking outrage with raunchy sexual imagery. Today, the 44-year-old married mother of two is usually noted for her family life, her practice of yoga, or her forthcoming children's books.
Madonna's newest album "American Life" has topped charts in the United States and Britain despite brutal reviews. But her latest movie, "Swept Away," was a critical and commercial flop.
Not everybody was impressed by Madonna's link-up with Gap.
"Neither the Gap nor Madonna are at the top of their game. So if they wanted to mix their reputation with someone of equal quality, they certainly have done that. And I don't mean that in a favorable way," said Paul Argenti, professor of corporate communications at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
"Madonna is a character, a brand if you will, that has a lot of baggage, and some of that baggage doesn't fit well with Gap," said Curtis Nelson, creative director of Washington, D.C. ad agency Hammer Communications.
"My impression is they engaged her to appeal to women 30 and 40 years old," Nelson said. "People of that age remember her in a way that is definitely not Gap." | |
