Blog: Jill Dyche

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Lesson from The Gap: The Risk of the Big Idea

In which Jill muses on chic--and then looks at the pictures.

The Gap, once the darling of the 16-39 year old set—never mind Wall Street retail analysts—recently announced the sudden closing of its nascent and highly-touted Forth and Towne chain. Forth and Towne had been geared to a different demographic: upscale professional women in the 35-55 year old age range who wanted a stylish spin on workplace wear.

It was, as the marketing crowed, “…a new way of shopping, inspired by a new kind of woman.” Indeed, the chain had taken a consumer segment—working women who wanted style at the office and at the office party—and further deconstructed it into sub-segments. Each category offered clothing and accessories that were mixed and matched, so that a customer could leave the store with a complete outfit. It was a smart concept that married the principles of mass customization and personalized service with modern design. The stores themselves were built around these categories, projecting an ambiance of beautiful, savvy, and smart. There was only one problem. The clothes were ugly.

One could imagine the branding experts, market analysts, and design consultants whose input propelled the creation of The Gap’s newest chain. You can almost hear the perky focus group leader egg on a group of professional women, “Chic? Edgy? Modern! Sassy!! C’mon, ladies, what else???” Meanwhile, CEO Paul Pressler leaves amid press allegations that he never understood the retail biz.

All this made me think about the difference between vision and execution. I’ve seen many companies where someone had a Big Idea that for one reason or another never got off the ground. Even worse are the companies who reward their people for big ideas instead of for execution. This is the “too many chiefs” phenomenon writ large and you can spot the cultural semaphores a mile away. Lots of talkers, few doers. Confusion about the definition of “success.” Frequent upheaval in the ranks of mid-level managers. Death by meeting. Headcount battles galore.

At a recent visit to the Phipps shopping center in Atlanta, I noticed a newly-minted Forth and Towne store on the verge of its grand opening. Photos of working women on the move were splashed across plywood-sheathed windows, the signage heralding, “Coming this Spring!” Someone had taken a marker and inserted a word at the end: (…Not!).

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