Gap Launches “Gift the Thought” Holiday Platform For the 2019 Holiday Season

Gap launched their “Gift the Thought” 2019 Holiday platform anchored by the heartwarming hero film, “The Hoodie“.

Under Gap’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Alegra O’Hare, the brand is pursuing an added emotional marketing tone this season. This sees a diversion from the traditional theatrical, musical nature of previous Gap Holiday campaigns, and introduces a more heart felt and sentimental hero film.

“We wanted to create something special and unique that tugs at the heartstrings” says O’Hare.

“The Hoodie” tells a story documenting the evolution of a young boy and his mother’s relationship over the years. Directed by AG Rojas, the film showcases their love and timeless bond through the lens of a single Gap hoodie, one of the brand’s most iconic items of clothing. The Gap hoodie serves as the vehicle in which the spot moves through the decades, tapping into nostalgia and moments of intensity in the forming of this family relationship. Starting during the son’s pre-teen years, we see him navigate experiencing heartbreak, discovering his passion for photography, falling in and out of love and culminates in him heading out on his own, his mom there every step of the way.

As we see at the end of the film, it all comes back to the holiday season and heartfelt gift giving when the mother gives her now fully-grown son the iconic Gap Logo Hoodie as a gift with a gift tag featuring a “Gift the Thought” note, ‘Because you’ve been there all along.’

A Spectacle Like No Other: The World-Famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® Kicks Off The Holiday Season

The 93rd edition of the iconic holiday event ushers in the season with its signature giant character balloons, floats of fantasy, the nation’s finest marching bands, whimsical groups, musical performances, and the one-and-only Santa Claus

Start the countdown, in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … Let’s Have a Parade!

A spectacle like no other awaits millions, as the 93rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®, the nation’s most cherished holiday tradition, kicks off the holiday season. On Thursday, November 28 at 9 a.m., the time honored phrase Let’s Have a Parade™ will ring from the starting line as the march of fantasy takes to the streets of New York City. With more than 8,000 volunteers dressed as clowns, guiding the flight of larger-than-life character balloons, transporting spectators to new worlds on signature floats, bringing the beat in the nation’s best marching bands and entertaining the crowds as part of dazzling performance groups, the annual march is jam-packed with entertainment. With more than 3.5 million spectators in New York City and more than 50 million television viewers nationwide, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is America’s premiere holiday celebration.

“Spectacle is synonymous with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and each year we aim to create an even bigger one than the last, with incredible must-see entertainment for millions of spectators nationwide,” said Susan Tercero, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Featuring an amazing line-up of high-flying character balloons, jaw-dropping animated floats, world-class marching bands and performance groups, artists covering a variety of musical genres, and of course, the one-and-only Santa Claus, we are ‘Parade Ready’ and can’t wait to take to the streets of New York City to once again herald the arrival of the holiday season.”

A NATIONAL SPECTACLE

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the nation’s biggest and most anticipated holiday celebration. Broadcast nationally on NBC, with millions of families nationwide tuning in to watch the excitement unfold, the TODAY Show’s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will host the three-hour broadcast from 9 a.m. – noon (in all time zones).

For more than nine decades, the magic of the holiday season has begun with the march of the Macy’s Parade, as the spectacle enthralls the nation with its signature mix of whimsical elements and dazzling performances. For the 93rd edition, the line-up will feature 16 giant character balloons; 40 novelty balloons, heritage balloons, balloonicles, balloonheads and trycaloons; 26 floats; 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers; more than 1,000 clowns; and 11 marching bands.

To kick off the revelry, a special must-see opening number featuring a who’s who of actors, singers, dancers and more, all joined by the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, will start the Thanksgiving Day party with a smash.

Following the opener, on 34th Street, Broadway’s best shows will take a star turn in front of Macy’s famed flagship with special performances. In addition, the show-stopping Radio City Rockettes® will bring their signature high-kicking magic to Herald Square.

For spectators in New York or those traveling to the city to see it live, the 93rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade begins at 9 a.m., kicking off from 77th Street and Central Park West. The procession will march to Columbus Circle, turn onto Central Park South and then march down 6th Avenue/Avenue of the Americas. At 34th Street, the Parade will make its final turn west and end at 7th Avenue in front of Macy’s Herald Square.

INFLATABLE ICONS

Since 1927, when the Parade’s character balloons first joined the revelry, the inflatables have become a signature element featuring some of the world’s most beloved characters. Over time, the inflatables have morphed from air-filled characters carried on sticks to high-flying giants, balloonheads and even hybrid inflatables with vehicles inside (balloonicles) or tandem tricycles (trycaloons).

New giants joining the line-up this year include Astronaut Snoopy by Peanuts Worldwide, Green Eggs and Ham by Netflix, and SpongeBob SquarePants & Gary by Nickelodeon. In celebration of his 75th birthday, a heritage balloon and fan favorite will return to the Parade as Smokey Bear once again takes to the skies over Manhattan.

Coach To Debut As First Luxury Fashion Brand In Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

In 2005, the Macy’s Parade began to feature what would become a collection of high-flying artwork created in collaboration with renowned contemporary artists. The special series, entitled Macy’s Blue Sky Gallery, has featured some of the art world’s finest creators. This year, for the eighth edition of the series, the world’s most renowned female contemporary artist will take her iconic art to new heights as Yayoi Kusama joins the Macy’s Parade with her Love Flies Up to the Sky balloon. The design was developed by the artist from face motifs that appear in her “My Eternal Soul” series of paintings–a body of work that she began in 2009. Vibrant and animated, the paintings embody Kusama’s innovative exploration of form and revolve around a tension between abstraction and figuration. The artist’s signature dots — which recur throughout her practice — are also featured prominently in the Macy’s Parade balloon design. Previous balloons in the Macy’s Parade Blue Sky Gallery series have included works from famed artists Tom Otterness, Jeff Koons, Keith Haring, Takashi Murakami, Tim Burton, KAWS, and FriendsWithYou™.

Returning giant balloon characters include Diary of A Wimpy Kid® by Abrams Children’s Books; Sinclair Oil’s DINO®; The Elf on the Shelf®; Goku; Illumination Presents Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch; Jett by Super Wings™; Olaf from Disney’s “Frozen 2”; Chase from PAW Patrol®; Pikachu™ by the Pokémon Company International; Pillsbury Doughboy™; Power Rangers Mighty Morphin Red Ranger; Ronald McDonald®; and Trolls. Completing the inflatable lineup is the famed Aflac Duck, Sinclair Oil’s Baby DINOs and the Go Bowling balloonicles, as well as Universal Orlando Resort’s The Nutcracker.

Now Open: Four Seasons Hotel Lanai At Koele, A Sensei Retreat, Offers First All-Inclusive Wellness Vacations By Four Seasons

New Partnership With Sensei Retreats Introduces a New Concept In Fully Customizable, Science-Based Programming For Mind And Body, The First all-inclusive wellness experience Offered By Four Seasons, Including Meals By Sensei By Nobu

Welcome to Four Seasons Hotel Lanai at Koele, A Sensei Retreat,and a unique offering in the Hawaiian Islands.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world’s leading luxury hospitality company, and Sensei, the well-being company founded by Larry Ellison and Dr. David Agus, have partnered to develop Four Seasons Hotel Lanai at Koele, A Sensei Retreat, is now open and taking reservations.

The soaring Great Room at the Four Seasons Hotel Lanai At Koele, A Sensei Retreat

Unique to the Hawaiian market and a Four Seasons first, the all-inclusive hotel will focus exclusively on wellness retreats, offering a comprehensive and fully customisable program tailored to individual needs.

“Together with our partners at Sensei Retreats, we’ve created a retreat where guests can experience it all in one location. Uniquely crafted itineraries are entirely fluid and adaptable, even as the journey is unfolding for our guests,” says Hotel Manager Said Haykal. “And, those travelling together can enjoy individual programs tailored to their own interests while also benefitting from shared experiences.”

“Four Seasons partnership with Sensei signals our deep understanding of what today’s luxury traveller wants: an exclusive and differentiated wellness travel experience, perfectly pairing Sensei’s evidence-based approach to healthy living with Four Seasons renowned and legendary service,” says Christian Clerc, President, Global Operations, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “Set against the backdrop of the uniquely breathtaking Lanai landscape, this new offering combines unmatched hospitality, nutritious upscale dining and reputable experts to offer a luxury wellness experience found nowhere else in the world.”

Four Seasons Hotel Lanai At Koele, A Sensei Retreat

Located against a backdrop of towering Cook pines and banyan trees on the island of Lanai, which is also home to the beachfront Four Seasons Resort Lanai, the new wellness experience takes full advantage of the 90,000 acre (36,000 hectare) island’s natural beauty and seclusion.

The foundation for the property is an evidence-led approach to well-being that focuses on three practices – movement, nourishment, and rest – which are connected and enriched by one another, helping guests get familiar and maintain a conversation with body and mind. These three practices are the basis for programming, and integrating elements from all categories lead to a balance that is at the heart of the Sensei philosophy, as well as helping guests discover new patterns and experiences they can implement in their everyday lives on a consistent and ongoing basis.

From private spa hale to world-class cuisine, guest will enjoy a luxury of limitless choices including body treatments; personal training; group classes and lectures in yoga, meditation, fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, Hawaiian culture, art and enrichment, meditation and cultural immersion; and enriching activities on land and sea; all while experiencing the beauty of the secluded island of Lanai.