Gap's NBC Embrace Is Serendipity, Not Synergy

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Mixed Media

by Jeff Bercovici

Main

The Takeaway: Murdoch Biography Arrives Rather: 'Fear Rules Every Newsroom i...

Dec 1 2008 11:38AM EST

gap rainn selma.jpg

A few days ago I noticed something odd about Gap's holiday ad campaign: It features stars from not one, not two, but three NBC comedies -- The Office, Saturday Night Live and Kath & Kim.

Given NBC entertainment chief Ben Silverman's well-established penchant for monetizing his content in ways that other networks might shrink from, I wondered whether there might be some sort of partnership here between NBC Universal and Gap. Was NBC getting paid for use of its talent? Or was there some sort of ad-buy quid pro quo? Or maybe it was worth loaning out Wilson and the SNL guys just to get some extra exposure for the struggling Kath & Kim?

Alas, none of my suppositions proved correct. "Total coincidence!" says Trey Laird, president and executive creative director of Laird + Partners, Gap's ad agency, when asked about the profusion of peacock personnel. "I just cast who I liked. Nothing to do with NBC."

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