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May 1, 2014-2014

United States of America

Gap Does More – Hoax Media

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ACTIVISTS/ACT.GROUPS/DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP

18 Million Rising; Cayden Mak

TARGET

Gap, Inc.

WIDELY HELD BELIEF

Workers from developing countries should not be exploited by corporations for higher gains.

CASE NARRATIVE

Issue and Opponent: The Bangladeshi garment industry has exploded over the past five years and it’s been a major driver in the economy. Gap clothes are produced in countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia, and although the brand consistently has painted itself as a super ethical company, they are doing the bare minimum for worker rights. Gap refused to sign on to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, which is a legally binding agreement written up and ratified by Bangladeshi labor unions, factory owners, and a handful of European and American brands. In October 2013, Gap Inc. was linked to a fire accident, which killed nine workers in one of the factories in Bangladesh. Dilemma Action: In May 2014, posing as the clothing company’s public relations department, 18 Million Rising (18MR), a racial justice online organization, launched an impeccably designed fake website called Gapdoesmore.com and released a statement announcing that Gap had signed on to a significant labor accord in Bangladesh. After a flurry of social media chatter about the Gap’s change of tack on Bangladesh safety, the chain’s communications office released a statement confirming that the site was a fraud. The organization also created a hoax Twitter account called Gap Does More. Outcome: Both the website and the Twitter account were taken down, but 18MR continued to plan more activities on its ongoing campaign to expose Gap’s unjust labor practices. Media activism has been a useful tool in multiple campaigns in favor of workers’ rights, especially against fast fashion chains.

PRIMARY STRUGGLE/GOAL

Economic justice
Human rights

DA TACTICS USED

Humorous skits and pranks

CASE NARRATIVE WRITER

SUCCESS METRICS

10 / 12

(EREP) Dilemma action got replicated by other movements

(MC) Media Coverage

(MSYMP) Media coverage was sympathetic to the activists

(OR) Opponent response

(PS) Dilemma action built sympathy with the public

(PUN) Punishment favored the activists

(REFR) Dilemma action reframed the narrative of the opponent

(RF) Dilemma action reduced fear and/or apathy among the activists

(SA) Dilemma action appealed to a broad segment of the public

Laugtivism

PART OF A LARGER CAMPAIGN

1 / 3

Activist group continued working together after the action

RESOURCES

Project documentation

Dilemma Actions Coding Guidebook

Case study documentation

Dilemma_Actions_Analysis_Dataset

CC BY 4.0 Deed, Attribution 4.0 International

SOURCES

O’Connor, Clare. 2014. “Gap Inc. Falls Victim To Web Hoax Shaming Bangladesh Response,” Forbes, May 21. Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/05/21/gap-inc-falls-victim-to-web-hoax-shaming-bangladesh-response/?ss=business&sh=42963f7a2669).


Nastasia, Isabelle. 2014. “Meet the organizer who pulled off the Gap Does More hoax,” Waging Nonviolence, May 24. Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://wagingnonviolence.org/2014/05/pulled-gap-hoax/).

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