Old Navy taps the Martin Agency as creative agency partner

After seven years with Chandelier Creative, Old Navy is switching up its roster. The Gap Inc.-owned brand has brought on the Martin Agency as creative agency partner, with a campaign set to debut in May, an Old Navy spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. Jamie Gersch, who has served as Old Navy’s chief marketing officer since 2016, will spearhead the new work. The decision follows a creative review that kicked off in November. Chandelier participated in the review, according to a person close to the business. A representative from the agency did not return a request for comment. It is unclear what other agencies participated. Old Navy and Interpublic Group Cos.-owned Martin declined to comment on the creative direction or any further details of the partnership. Old Navy spends approximately $141 million on measured media in the U.S., according to research firm Comvergence. The agency news comes on the heels of Gap Inc.’s announcement last month that it would no longer spin off Old Navy as a separate entity, following the November departure of longtime Gap Inc. CEO Art Peck. In January, Gap Inc. said better-than-anticipated promotions over the holiday period at Old Navy led to higher fourth-quarter earnings—the company will report its sales for the critical holiday period next month. On a recent call with analysts, Gap Inc. executives spoke about Old Navy’s struggles. The lower-priced line had long been the bright spot in Gap’s portfolio, but has seen greater competition from other brands, including Target’s Cat & Jack in-house label, in recent years. “Regarding marketing, we had frankly become too heavily dependent on messaging around discounting, as opposed to bigger picture brand messaging focus on product and value that we know resonates with the Old Navy consumer,” said Teri List-Stoll, EVP and chief financial officer of Gap Inc., on the November call. List-Stoll pointed to Old Navy’s holiday work, a campaign starring a game-show-host-styled Neil Patrick Harris, as helping to engage consumers. That work was created by Chandelier, which, over the years, has also tapped the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Elizabeth Banks and Amy Schumer for Old Navy campaigns. Old Navy is the latest win for The Martin Agency, which also picked up CarMax, DoorDash, Buffalo Wild Wings, UPS and most recently Boston Beer Co.’s Twisted Tea. Changes are also afoot at Old Navy’s sister brand Gap. Chief Marketing Officer Alegra O’Hare left the brand earlier this year after less than a month on the job.

Old Navy taps the Martin Agency as creative agency partner

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