GAP Opens Influencer Programs to Their Own Employees

This story shouldn't feel revolutionary, but it still does. GAP opened up their online influencer program for their employees to become paid creators posting about Old Navy, Gap, Athleta and Banana Republic. Since one of the main motivations for retail workers to choose to work in one store or another is a personal affinity for the brand (and access to employee discounts), this is a natural move that every retail brand should be making. As employees are increasingly investing in their personal brands and building audiences, it's a huge, missed opportunity for so many brands to take advantage of that.

It all takes me back to my earlier days working in the digital influence group at Ogilvy fifteen years ago where a good portion of every day was spent building pitches and trying to convince brands that using their employees as spokespeople might be a great idea. I even published a trend in my first report which observed the rise of "Employees as Heroes." Clearly sometimes good ideas take a while to show up in the world.