Old Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Old Navy | |
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| Type of Company | department stores |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | family fashion and accessories |
| Slogan | Get Your Fash' On |
| Website | oldnavy.com |
Old Navy is a brand of clothing and chain of stores owned by Gap Inc., which also owns the Gap, Banana Republic, and Forth & Towne brands. Old Navy's corporate operations are within Gap in San Francisco and San Bruno, California.
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[edit] History
Old Navy opened its first store in Colma, California. Within the first year of existence, Old Navy opened 57 stores. As of 2005, Old Navy has more than 900 stores [1]. Many stores are located in the United States as well as in Canada, the largest of which is on State Street in Chicago, Illinois.
The name "Old Navy" was chosen from because originally the stores were supposed to imitate the look and feel of a traditional military surplus store. While this motif was quickly dropped, many stores retain a warehouse-like/urban decor and the name stuck.
The online store, oldnavy.com, launched operations in 2000.
In 1999, Old Navy expanded its franchise to 6 locations in Puerto Rico. In 2001, Old Navy opened 12 stores in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. Also, in 2004, 7 stores were opened in the province of Quebec (including 6 in the Montreal Area).
[edit] Concept
Old Navy's target market largely consists of middle class and, somewhat surprisingly given its pricing, upper class families and teenagers. Accordingly, the clothing is trendy, yet more affordable than its other Gap Inc. counterparts, as well as that of rival stores like American Eagle, Aéropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Hollister. Old Navy's stores contain specialized sections for infants, boys, girls, men, and women. Within these categories contain styles for many occasions. In addition to clothing, Old Navy also sells a variety of accessories such as shoes, handbags, toys, hats, and sunglasses, along with a line of clothing and toys for dogs. Perhaps Old Navy's most recognizable product is their popular signature flip-flops.
Flagship stores also have "collection" business clothes for women, "the salon/lighthouse" or some new name each season for trendy clothes and plus size and maternity sections. Previously, Old Navy attempted to launch a bath and body line, called ONbody, but dropped the effort after only a few months.
Old Navy informally bills itself as an all-American brand. The chain releases a shirt every summer emblazoned with an American flag. Each year's shirt features a slightly altered flag graphic with the year listed underneath. Alternatively, they also offer shirts with the Puerto Rican flag on them. In its Canadian stores, a similar shirt with the Canadian flag is sold.
[edit] Advertisement Campaigns
The most notable aspect of Old Navy's television advertisements are their kitschy, satirical tone toward a retro time period, vaguely between 1940 and 1960. In sharp contrast to the Gap's advertisements, Old Navy's feature chipper family members sporting their clothing line while engaging in wholesome family activities, such as barbecuing. A common tagline used in their campaigns is " [insert clothing article here] for the whole family!"
Old Navy is also known for its advertising campaigns featuring celebrities such as Morgan Fairchild, Joan Collins, Fran Drescher, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Kristin Chenoweth, and hip hop artist Lil Kim. Another popular spokesperson was former Vogue editor Carrie Donovan, who often appeared in ads with company "spokesdog," Magic. According to Gap Inc., Magic, an Airedale terrier mix, was rescued from the streets of San Jose. Magic remains an informal mascot of the company, though Donovan has since died.
Old Navy started a contest in June 2006 to choose a new mascot dog to replace Magic through a nationwide search contest. Paco, a mixed breed male from Venice Beach, California, was announced as the new Old Navy mascot on July 23, 2006.
Jeffersons stars Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley appeared in a number of Old Navy television commercials in the late 1990s and early 2000s until Sanford died.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
- The Gap
- Forth & Towne
- Banana Republic
- American Eagle Outfitters
- Aéropostale
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- H&M
- Forever 21
