Gildan, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, will launch a campaign for its retail brand with a commercial during this Sunday’s Super Bowl game.
With the 30-second spot, Gildan hopes to reach the core customer for the retail side of its business and create exposure for the brand. To amplify the ad’s message, the company also plans to launch an active social media strategy and promotions with various retailers following Sunday’s game.
“The ad has a humorous side to it, which we hope makes it memorable,” says Mike Hoffman, president of Gildan Activewear SRL. “Overall, we want to reinforce a positive connection between our brand and the consumer so next time they are in a store, they look for our products.”
Gildan first entered the retail channel a few years ago with the acquisition of two sock manufacturers. From there, the company began introducing Gildan-branded products in various regional retail chains, and eventually in national mass-merchant locations.
In 2011, Gildan acquired Gold Toe, which included the Gold Toe brand, a portfolio of other brands for dress, casual and athletic socks, as well as its brand licenses for Under Armour and New Balance, which are currently being extended into Gildan’s U.S. distributor channel via a new line of performance T-shirts.
Prior marketing initiatives for the retail brand have included sponsorships of Triple-A baseball leagues and the All Star game, the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, the Live Farm Aid concert and the Country Music Association’s Annual awards show.
Through its various acquisitions and initiatives, Gildan is working to position itself as a national consumer brand for activewear, underwear and socks.
“Aside from generating topline sales and profitability growth, which all companies desire, we want to leverage the same Gildan brand attributes of premium quality and superior value that have made us so successful in the printwear industry to the entire family across a range of products,” Hoffman says.
For more information, visit gildan.com. — L.M.
