On Strategy Showcase: "On the Spot this month – GAP and Chili's"

Host: Fergus O’Carroll
Panelists: Lachlan Badenoch (Carmichael Lynch), Kelsey Carson (Tumbras), Matt Herbert (Tracksuit), Vanessa Chin (System1)
Date: September 21, 2025

Overview:

This episode explores the resurgence strategies behind two iconic brands—GAP and Chili’s—unpacking the creative and commercial moves that have sparked renewed buzz. The panel dives into how each brand is leveraging nostalgic assets, cultural relevance, product innovation, and value propositions to reconnect with lapsed customers, attract new ones, and reposition themselves in competitive markets.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Theme of Resurgence

Fergus: Sets the stage by identifying GAP and Chili’s as "brilliant examples of resurgence—though not in completely opposite ways, as people might think." The episode explores what it takes for legacy brands to reclaim relevance and foster growth in today’s fragmented, rapidly shifting cultural landscape.
(08:15–09:00)

2. GAP: Creativity Through Pop Culture, Not Just Nostalgia

i. Brand Challenges in Revival

• Kelsey (Tumbras): Addresses the nostalgia trap:

  "There can be this real trap to say, like, let's show up the way we used to show up. People miss us for something they experienced 20 years ago, so we need to repeat that... but it's not enough."
  (09:01)

• Importance of adapting what's relevant from the past to current needs, noting, "Not everything from the past should make it to the present."

ii. Balancing Consistency and Modernity

• Lachlan (Carmichael Lynch):

  "The trick is... how do you really be true to yourself but also a current actor in culture and... contribute to culture, rather than just reflecting back stuff?"
  (10:50)

iii. Pop Culture Over Nostalgia

• Fergus: Challenges the panel, seeing the resurgence as "creativity expressed through pop culture, not just nostalgia."
  (12:24)

iv. Creative Devices & Emotional Response

• Vanessa (System1): Notes the GAP work visually recalls the '90s but lacks instant recognition among all audiences.

  "From an emotional reaction standpoint, it's fairly low in terms of performance... because it’s not being recognized as GAP."
  (13:44)

v. Generational Dynamics & Data

• Matt (Tracksuit): Breaks down tracking data (16:50):
  • 18–34 year-olds: Awareness dropped from 79% to 72% (Aug–Feb), consideration from 48% to 36%, but rebounded in recent months; trust and quality perceptions both up 8 points.
  • "They're just getting their mojo back." (18:04)
• Questioned the difficulty of standing out—“If we truly lined up all the denim clothing... it kind of all looks the same.” (19:21)

vi. Celebrity Usage & Risks

• Rotating celebrity partnerships—Parker Posey, Cat’s Eye, Troye Sivan, etc.—elicited buzz but sometimes confused branding and failed to build day-in, day-out emotional connection with all audiences.
  (29:00)

vii. Strategic Debate

• Should GAP have taken a more radical approach, or is reusing their classic creative structure wise?
  • Debate centers on whether it’s smart to target older, nostalgic audiences while hoping to attract new ones, and whether GAP is moving fast enough.
    (23:17–26:50)

3. Chili’s: The Perfect Nostalgia Play?

i. Leaning Into Iconography

• Fergus:

  "They dove in 100% into taking the old and just presenting it today as nostalgic. Purely nostalgia." (30:12)

• Panel praises the creative use of "the old jingle, the boots, the pepper logo—embracing it all."

ii. Product & Pricing At the Core

• Kelsey: Emphasizes the 'Three for Me' 10.99 meal as the strategic unlock:

  "Price point is about what you'll pay for a QSR meal... [they] switched their frame of reference." (31:46)

• Lachlan:

  "You can't out message reality... if the reality is bad, no message is going to convince people otherwise." (33:10)

iii. Emotional Branding Devices

• Matt:

  "As soon as I watched that, I was like, baby back ribs. I have heard that a lot the last 12 months... a jingle and a song, right?" (35:34)

• Vanessa:

  "The amount of distinctive assets they're using—restaurant, booths, jingle, Boys II Men, nostalgic music— it's riddled with distinctive assets." (36:16)

iv. Competitive Positioning

• Chili’s is "in the fight" with Applebee's, Outback, Olive Garden; preference is solid but trails OG’s 21%.
  (42:50–43:44)

v. Brand Love & Value

• Matt:

  "Brand love is 4.2 times more likely to drive consideration in this category." (44:28)

• Vanessa:

  "They just know their audience and keep showing up day in and day out." (44:05)

4. Comparing Resurgence Strategies

i. What Sets the Approaches Apart?

• Kelsey:

  "Gap is back, trying to become an influence in culture... Chili’s feels transformative." (46:51)

• Vanessa:

  "What sets Chili’s apart is the inherent deep value offered... that value shines through in execution." (48:24)

• Lachlan:
  • Chili’s resurgence is truly "4P marketing across the board—product, price, experience, and messaging... The campaign is less central than the core offer."
  • GAP "more reliant on the campaign and building equity." (49:02)
• Matt:

  "Just tell me it's Gap earlier, right? They're moving in the right direction but could be more explicit."
  "Chili’s—it's the totality of the four P’s; you know exactly who it is and what they're about." (50:48–51:42)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "Not everything from the past should make it the present or the future. You have to be choiceful about what the world needs from you today." — Kelsey, 09:01
• "How do you really be true to yourself but also a current actor in culture?" — Lachlan, 10:50
• "From an emotional reaction standpoint, it's fairly low... because it's not being recognized as Gap." — Vanessa, 13:44
• "As soon as I watched that, I was like, the baby back ribs. I have heard that a lot the last 12 months... a jingle and a song, right?" — Matt, 35:34
• "Brand love is 4.2 times more likely to drive consideration in this category." — Matt, 44:28
• "Gap is back, trying to get it back to this place where it feels like an influence in culture... Chili’s, it feels like... a really transformative [brand]." — Kelsey, 46:51

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Brand Resurgence & Setup: 08:15–10:00
• GAP’s Strategic Debate: 09:01–29:00
  • Creative choices, data discussion, generational focus: 16:50–22:24
• Chili’s Case Study: 30:12–39:31
  • Value strategy, iconography, distinctive assets: 31:46–36:16
  • Competitive set, brand love, and preference: 42:50–45:28
• Wrap-Up, Panel Reflections: 46:27–51:42

Panel Wrap-Up: Key Learnings

• Both brands deploy nostalgia and distinctive assets, but Chili’s pairs it with meaningful, timely product value—a strategic anchor.
• GAP’s creative revival leverages pop culture and celebrity but needs stronger, more consistent branding cues to accelerate awareness and emotional resonance with younger audiences.
• Executional details, like jingles and fluent devices, matter greatly for emotional connection and recall.
• Leadership experience and integration of the "Four P's" (product, price, place, promotion) underpin effective resurgence.
• In both clothing and restaurant categories, success hinges on embracing core brand equity, evolving for current culture, and leveraging every marketing lever—not just advertising.

Tone:
Candid, enthusiastic, and occasionally irreverent—participants speak as seasoned strategists, blending data-driven insight with personal anecdote and wit.

For Listeners:
This episode offers a playbook for marketers navigating legacy brand resurgence, stressing the balance between honoring the past and adapting to contemporary needs—with practical examples, data, and honest debate on what works, what’s risky, and why executional detail makes all the difference.