<p>Good morning, AdLand. Here's what you need to know today:</p>
<p><strong><keyword id="260696" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dish-Network">Dish Network</keyword>'s</strong> "Hopper" allows users to skip over commercials. Thus, as a part of its multi-million dollar marketing campaign, the company made an ad about how its product has effectively killed commercials. The spot was created by BFG 9000:</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Wieden + Kennedy </strong>is the new lead creative agency for Mondelez's Trident in the U.S. The gum's previous shop was Saatchi &amp; Saatchi, which will continue to handle creative abroad. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/wieden-gets-more-mondelez-business-147188">According to Adweek</a>, W+K won the business without a pitch. </p>
<p><strong>Al Paul Lefton, Jr.</strong>, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/veteran-philly-advertising-leader-dies-147165">president and CEO of the ad agency with the same name, died at 84</a> Tuesday. His father founded the Philadelphia-based shop.</p>
<p><strong>Self magazine </strong>is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/11/business/media/self-magazine-widens-its-focus-for-a-younger-audience.html">trying to get a younger audience.</a></p>
<p><strong>Google AdWords </strong>now <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/02/06/google-upgrades-adwords-mobile/">targets mobile audiences better.</a></p>
<p><strong>Ad Age </strong>looks at the <a href="http://adage.com/article/global-news/venezuela-s-adland-grapples-chaos-uncertainty/239707/">difficulties in the advertising industry in Venezuela.</a></p>
<p><strong>Previously on Business Insider <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">Advertising</keyword>:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/justin-timberlakes-commercial-for-bud-light-platinum-2013-2" class="title">Justin Timberlake's First Commercial for Bud Light Platinum</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/madison-ave-ad-agencies-2013-2" class="title">A Photo Tour Of The Ad Agencies That Are Actually Still On Madison Avenue</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-worst-brand-extensions-2013-2" class="title">See The 10 Worst Brand Extensions Currently On The Market</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/where-facebooks-impending-microsoft-atlas-buy-fits-in-with-its-plans-of-world-domination-2013-2" class="title">How Facebook's Impending Deal For Microsoft's Atlas Fits In With Its Plan For World Domination</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tour-barbies-malibu-dreamhouse-which-mattel-is-selling-for-25-million-as-a-publicity-stunt-2013-2" class="title">The Actual $25M Real Estate Listing For Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/etch-a-sketch-made-saddest-ad-youll-ever-see-2013-2">Etch A Sketch Made One Of The Saddest Ads You'll Ever See To Honor Its Late Inventor</a></li>
</ul>

Dish Network's New Ad Is About How Its 'Hopper' Product Killed Commercials [THE BRIEF]

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Disney</span></p><p class="caption">"The Jungle Book."</p></div><p></p></div></div>Thanks in large part to its properties like Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm, Disney banked its biggest box-office year ever in 2015 as it took in over <a href="https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/the-walt-disney-studios-has-record-2015-at-the-box-office/" target="_blank">$5.8 billion worldwide</a>. </p><p>But will 2016 be even bigger? It looks like it.</p><p>Disney has been dominating the box office so far this year. It's already crossed <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/star-wars-zootopia-disney-1-billion-box-office-international-1201739350/" target="_blank">$1 billion at the international box office</a>, thanks to the continued success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and the better-than-expected global strength of Walt Disney Animation's hit "Zootopia."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Disney</span></p><p class="caption">"Zootopia."</p></div><p></p></div></div>Passing the $1 billion milestone in March is the earliest Disney has marked that achievement.</p><p>Domestically, things are great, too, as Disney leads all studios with over <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/" target="_blank">$830 million in grosses</a>. That's up <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view2=ytd&amp;view=company&amp;studio=buenavista.htm" target="_blank">$149%</a> from this time last year for the company.</p><p>Disney has had some surprise successes this year, in addition to its more obvious money-makers, especially "Zootopia" and "The Jungle Book."</p><p>"<a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=disney2016.htm" target="_blank">Zootopia</a>" opened to incredible reviews, which were then matched by the movie hitting No. 1 at the domestic box office for three straight weeks.</p><p>It's been even more impressive overseas, claiming the <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/box-office-zootopia-300-million-1201728165/" target="_blank">studio's biggest animated debut</a> in numerous territories and becoming the <a href="http://www.screendaily.com/news/zootopia-biggest-animated-film-in-china/5101783.article" target="_blank">highest-grossing animated film in China</a>. </p><p>Word that "The Jungle Book" already had a sequel in the works before its release was a good sign, but then it blew away all expectations with a <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=junglebook2015.htm" target="_blank">$103 million domestic opening</a>. It then dipped only 41% with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/disney-2016-box-office-2016-4">$60.8 million</a> in its second weekend in theaters. </p><p>Overseas, the movie has already surpassed its domestic total with over $340 million (the film now has a worldwide total of $533.5 million).</p><p>The bad news for other Hollywood studios? Disney is just getting started.</p><p>Its latest Marvel release, "Captain America: Civil War," which many critics are calling the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/captain-america-civil-war-reviews-2016-4" target="_blank">best Marvel movie yet</a>, comes out May 6 and is projected to open domestically at a whopping <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/captain-america-civil-war-tracking-884792" target="_blank">$175 million</a>. It's likely "The Jungle Book" will stay at No. 1 at the domestic box office until then.</p><p>And with competition for "Civil War" weak until the release of "X-Men: Apocalypse" on May 27, a Disney movie could possibly be No. 1 at the domestic box office for six straight weeks.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Marvel</span></p><p class="caption">"Captain America: Civil War."</p></div><p></p></div></div>And by the time "Apocalypse" comes around, it's certainly possible that "Alice Through the Looking Glass" (yes, a Disney title), which goes up against the superhero flick, could actually win out.</p><p>"Don't count out 'Alice,'" Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider. "The original debut was $116 million," he noted, while the last X-Men movie, "X-Men: The Last Stand," opened at <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=x3.htm " target="_blank">$102.7 million</a>, so it could be a photo finish that weekend.</p><p>After "Alice," the Disney lineup looks impressive: "Finding Dory" (June 17), "The BFG" (July 1), "Doctor Strange" (November 4), "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" (December 16).</p><p>"Every single big-budget Disney film on the release calendar in 2016 looks like a bona-fide hit," Bock said.</p><p>And if smaller movies like "Pete's Dragon" (August 12) and "Moana" (November 23) perform well, it's just more fuel for the studio.</p><p>Though last year Universal edged out Disney with a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/record-setting-box-office-thanks-star-wars-2015-12">$6.7 billion worldwide</a> take, if things work out this year, the house that Mickey built and now Marvel protects will hit that coveted $6 billion mark and be the studio atop the mountain.</p><p>"What we're dealing with here is a super-studio, while all other competition are mere mortals," Bock said of Disney. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-rogue-one-movie-trailer-lucasfilm-2016-4">The trailer for the first 'Star Wars' spin-off movie 'Rogue One' is here</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="J1aTduMjE65lunKPlAqslUukB_I31gPI" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Disney is on track to have its biggest year at the box office and crush competition

100 Books Every Kid Should Read By Age 14

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Zack George came top of the UK in the 2020 <keyword id="972977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Crossfit">CrossFit</keyword> Open, and 26th in the world.</li><li>However, as a child, George said he was "massively overweight," eating fast food five times a week.</li><li>The professional athlete and CrossFit gym owner told Insider that his dad offered him a PlayStation as an incentive to lose weight, which kickstarted his <keyword id="18974" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="fitness">fitness</keyword> journey.</li><li>George now trains twice a day, six days a week, and he still has to keep his weight in check.</li><li>His best piece of advice to others is to "run your own race."</li></ul><p>As a child growing up in Leicestershire, UK, Zack George was, in his own words, "massively overweight," eating huge bags of candy and McDonald's five times a week.</p><p>Two decades later, however, and he's earned the title of the fittest man in the UK, having beaten all other Brits at the 2020 <a href="https://games.crossfit.com/">CrossFit Open</a>.</p><p>George told Insider how he went from overweight child to where he is today, how he trains now, and his advice for others looking to get fit.</p><h2>George's dad promised him a PlayStation if he lost weight</h2><p>As a young boy, George loved his fast food, routinely eating McDonald's every day after school.</p><p>"I loved sweets, chocolate, and anything like that, I just had a ridiculous diet really," he told Insider.</p><p>But after seeing his weight creep up, George's parents decided to offer him an incentive to shift some pounds: A PlayStation 2.</p><p>"I got to the age of 12 or 13 and my parents thought, 'Right, we need to do something here or else you're going to get older and older and keep getting bigger and bigger, and it's going to be a lot harder to try and change things.'</p><p>"At that time I really wanted a PlayStation 2, so my dad said, 'OK, I'll make you a deal: if you lose some weight, then we can get you a PlayStation 2.'</p><p>"I was like, 'Amazing!'"</p><p>So the first step was cutting down on junk food, no longer having his daily McDonald's and big bags of Haribo.</p><p>George says it was quite easy to lose the weight initially, so before long he was rewarded with his PlayStation.</p><p>"I was ecstatic about it," he said.</p><h2>A life-changing seminar led to a love of fitness and team sport</h2><p>Despite having lost weight, George didn't really have much interest in getting fit until he went to a mindset-changing seminar by life coach and motivational speaker Tony Robbins. </p><p>"Up until that age, I just wanted to lose weight to get the PlayStation," he said. "I didn't really care about doing it for myself.</p><p>"But that seminar was a really big turning point where I actually decided I wanted to lose weight for myself and to get fit for me, rather than needing any sort of external gift."</p><p><div type="image" title="Zack George, CrossFit Athlete &amp; Fittest Man in the UK 6" height="1134" width="1181" msid="76481643" hostid="261"></div></p><p>He started playing more sports like rugby and squash, and <keyword id="2539845" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="health-and-fitness">health and fitness</keyword> soon became a passion.</p><p>"It was just quite a big shift mentally because I knew I wanted to do it for myself rather than just so I could get something from it. And then we started to really get into <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> as a family," George said.</p><p>As a teenager, George played sports to a high level and started looking after himself better in all ways to help with his performance.</p><p>"I think a lot of people who know me now just assume I was a really fit kid and have always been in good shape but it's the complete opposite really," he said, adding that people are always surprised when they see photos of him from when he was "massively overweight."</p><p>"I think it always motivates people because obviously, I'm not a naturally thin guy, I do have to work on it with diet to stay in shape."</p><h2>It was love at first sight for George and CrossFit</h2><p>After leaving school, George went on to get a personal trainer qualification from Loughborough University.</p><p>He didn't discover CrossFit, however, until his dad saw a clip on YouTube that he thought his son might find cool — it turned out to be the 2013 CrossFit Games.</p><p>"I just thought it was mental," George said. "People were doing all sorts of crazy stuff: swimming, doing muscle-ups, handstand walks, just an unbelievable array of fitness skills. </p><p>"I just loved the look of it. You've got to be strong, you've got to be fit. It really appealed straight away. As soon as I saw it, I thought, 'That's what I want to do. I want to get to the Games.'"</p><p><div type="image" title="Zack George, CrossFit Athlete &amp; Fittest Man in the UK 10" height="2491" width="3321" msid="76481645" hostid="261"></div></p><p>It took about a year for George to start CrossFit training properly because he couldn't find a box (CrossFit gyms are called boxes), and at the time he owned a commercial gym.</p><p>But George was spending hours and hours watching videos online, and ever since has been "absolutely mad on CrossFit and the community."</p><p>So much so that George decided to leave his gym and open his own CrossFit affiliate, CrossFit BFG in Leicester, in 2017.</p><h2>This year, George was crowned the fittest in the UK</h2><p>After a few years working hard at the sport, George was starting to make a name for himself — he came 6th in the UK at the 2018 CrossFit Open, and had earned himself the nickname of "Silverback" due to his ability to take his mindset to a new level while competing.</p><p>At this year's CrossFit Open, however, George took the top spot out of everyone else in the UK, which also placed him 26th in the world.</p><p>And it was no mean feat.</p><p><div type="image" title="Zack George, CrossFit Athlete &amp; Fittest Man in the UK 7" height="722" width="962" msid="76481646" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The CrossFit Open spans five weeks: A specific <keyword id="24256" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="workout">workout</keyword> is released every Friday morning, the competitors can them complete it as many times as they want over the weekend, filming their efforts with a qualified judge present.</p><p>You submit your score on Monday and then wait for the next workout. </p><p>If you win a workout, you get one point. If you come 20,000th, you get 20,000 points. The winner is whoever has the fewest points at the end.</p><p>The scoring system means one bad workout could cost you greatly, which had happened to George in previous years.</p><p>"But that's why I love CrossFit, he said. "You've got to be good at so many different aspects. You can't have any weaknesses."</p><p>Most years, coming 26th in the world would have qualified George for the CrossFit Games.</p><p>But due to the coronavirus lockdown, a few months ago it was announced that this year's process would be different, and only the top 20 athletes from the Open were invited to the Games, due to take place this Fall.</p><p>(However, following the <a href="https://www.insider.com/new-ceo-not-enough-to-save-crossfit-zack-george-says-2020-6">recent allegations of racism and misogyny within CrossFit HQ</a>, the future of the company and the Games is currently unclear.)</p><p><div type="image" title="Zack George, CrossFit Athlete &amp; Fittest Man in the UK 2" height="673" width="897" msid="76481649" hostid="261"></div></p><p>George is still incredibly proud of his achievement though, saying it felt "amazing" to win the UK Open.</p><p>"It's been a dream of mine for seven years to get to the Games. And then to finally achieve it ... At the start, because I was so focused in my training and I'd prepared so well for the Open, afterwards it was a massive come down and I felt really demotivated.</p><p>"I didn't feel how I thought I would have felt, but I think that's just because there were so many emotions involved and such a stressful five weeks.</p><p>"But a month or two later, when it really sank in, it was amazing to have worked for something for so long and to finally achieve it."</p><h2>He now trains twice a day, six days a week</h2><p>As a professional athlete, George trains twice a day.</p><p>His morning sessions are typically cardio-based fitness, which could be anything from a 40-minute long bike session to short, intense running intervals.</p><p>In the afternoon, George will do his second session of the day, which is typically a 2.5-hour workout focused on gymnastics and weightlifting.</p><p><div type="image" title="Zack George, CrossFit Athlete &amp; Fittest Man in the UK 1" height="802" width="1176" msid="76481651" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"That's when I do all my clean and jerks, snatches, back squats, all that sort of strength work," he said. "And then on the gymnastics side, it's movements like chest to bars pull-ups, toes to bars, ring muscle-ups, handstand walks, all the skill elements."</p><p>Sunday is a rest day, where George will do some form of active recovery like a swim.</p><p>"I typically train at a very high volume but it works for me," he said.</p><h2>He still has to watch his weight</h2><p>George's favorite exercise is thrusters, which is where you're holding a barbell (or dumbbells) at shoulder-height, you squat down, and then as you drive up to stand, you press the bar above your head.</p><p>"It's so painful because it's working every part of your body," George said. "But I like simple movements where I can just grind through."</p><p>If you follow George <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zackgeorge/">on Instagram</a>, you'll also notice that he does a lot of burpees in his workouts. The main reason for this is that, at six feet tall and around 100kg (220 pounds), he has to keep his weight down — being a few kg lighter, he said, makes a huge difference when it comes to competing.</p><p>"If you do a lot of thrusters constantly, you're probably going to have some sort of knee pain because it's just quite an aggressive movement, but you could do burpees every day and not get too much of a repetitive strain injury, so it's a great move for fitness and to keep my weight down as well," George said.</p><p>Although his size works in his favor when it comes to strength, it isn't ideal for all aspects of CrossFit.</p><p>"You don't get many athletes my size, I'm a very heavy CrossFit athlete, so I've just had to work very hard on the fitness and gymnastics side, because I know that's always going to be my weak point," George said.</p><h2>George is his own coach</h2><p>Unlike the vast majority of professional CrossFit athletes, George doesn't have a coach — he trains himself.</p><p>That doesn't mean he's working out alone though, and in fact, he believes training with others is key to his success.</p><p>"We turn my training session in the morning into a group training session so I've typically got eight to 10 people with me, and I have two training partners who I train with every evening too," George said.</p><p>"It makes such a difference. Training on your own, trying to push yourself, is very tough.</p><p>"I'm lucky that I've got different people in my gym who can all beat me at different aspects, which keeps me on my toes and allows me to keep progressing. It's great to have people to compete with."</p><p>It's particularly unusual at competitions for an athlete not to have a coach, but George said he has plenty of people around him to tweak his technique when needed.</p><h2>Lockdown has posed challenges</h2><p>Like everyone else, George has had to modify his training during the coronavirus lockdown. But unlike most people, as a gym owner, he was able to take lots of equipment home so he could carry on training as best as possible.</p><p>"I was just trying to stimulate as much of the same training intensity as in the gym," George said.</p><p>"It was hard, but luckily I managed to keep it up. I made sure I stuck to the exact same training times as my usual day, which made the transition to lockdown training easier."</p><p>And now, as a professional athlete, he's allowed to be training back in the gym again.</p><p>"Before that, it was a tough transition, but I think I managed it quite well."</p><h2>He's waiting to see if CrossFit makes any meaningful changes</h2><p>While many CrossFit gym owners have disaffiliated from the brand following recent allegations of misogyny and racism within the company's HQ, <a href="https://www.insider.com/new-ceo-not-enough-to-save-crossfit-zack-george-says-2020-6">George is waiting to see what happens</a>.</p><p>CrossFit founder Greg Glassman recently resigned as CEO and was replaced by Dave Castro, but George believes this isn't enough to save the company because Glassman is still 100% owner, as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crossfit-ceo-greg-glassman-career-george-floyd-tweet-controversy-2020-6#glassman-owns-100-of-crossfit-after-his-2012-divorce-from-cofounder-lauren-jenai-during-which-glassman-bought-out-her-shares-of-the-company-6">Business Insider</a> reported.</p><p><div type="image" title="Zack George, CrossFit Athlete &amp; Fittest Man in the UK 11" height="4841" width="3690" msid="76481653" hostid="261"></div></p><p>If the company doesn't do something about this though, George will join <a href="https://www.insider.com/gyms-are-dropping-crossfit-brand-after-glassman-george-floyd-comments-2020-6">the growing number of gym owners disaffiliating</a> from CrossFit.</p><p>He isn't worried though.</p><p>"The members come to our gym because of the coaching and the community aspect, not because it's called CrossFit," George said.</p><p>But the athlete, like many, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBJiH0hBofM/">spoke out</a> about his disappointment with the company, saying he felt "let down."</p><h2>Run your own race, George says</h2><p>At 29, Zack George has been on quite the journey from when he was a child.</p><p>His number one piece of advice for others wanting to get fitter? Run your own race.</p><p><div type="image" title="Zack George, CrossFit Athlete &amp; Fittest Man in the UK 14" height="2704" width="3605" msid="76481657" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"With social media, you can get very caught up with people looking perfect, but social media is people's highlight reel," George said. "It's always their best lifts or when they're the best shape. </p><p>"You might see someone lift a certain weight and want to get to that level really quickly, but it's taken that person maybe five years to get to that level.</p><p>You don't need to train like an athlete if you're not an athlete, so don't beat yourself up about it, he said. The key is to be consistent, because that's how your fitness journey will last a long time.</p><p>"Run your race, take your time, and make sure you're enjoying the process and doing it for the right reasons, for yourself," George said.</p><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/new-ceo-not-enough-to-save-crossfit-zack-george-says-2020-6">A new CEO isn't enough to save CrossFit if Greg Glassman remains 100% owner, says athlete and gym owner Zack George</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/crossfit-athletes-boycott-sport-games-after-ceo-george-floyd-comment-2020-6">The world's top CrossFit athletes are boycotting the sport following the CEO's insensitive comments on George Floyd</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/tia-clair-toomey-training-regime-fittest-woman-in-world-crossfit-2020-4">The 5 principles that helped Tia-Clair Toomey become the fittest woman in the world — and how she trains to stay there</a></p>

How Zack George went from 'massively overweight' child to the UK's fittest man, and how he trains to stay there

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Paramount</span></p><p class="caption">"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows."</p></div><p></p></div></div>It turns out there isn't mass hysteria at the major movie studios following a weak summer-movie season, in which ticket sales were <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/features/box-office-decline-summer-blockbusters-the-bfg-1201822322/" target="_blank">down 10%</a> from last year. </p><p>In fact, after Business Insider talked to a wide range of players in the industry, we've discovered that moviegoers should expect little change in the kinds of movies that are released over the summer in the next few years. So get ready for the endless stream of superheroes and franchises to continue apace.</p><p>Last year was a record-breaking year at the box office, with domestic earnings totaling <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2015&amp;p=.htm" target="_blank">over $11 billion</a> and Universal topping all studios after it earned over <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/universal-record-breaking-box-office-2015-8">$5.5 billion worldwide</a> thanks to summer releases "Jurassic World" and "Minions," each of which earned <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2015&amp;p=.htm" target="_blank">over $1 billion</a> worldwide .</p><p>This summer has had a few big hits, too. "Finding Dory" has made <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=pixar2015.htm" target="_blank">over $834 million</a> to date and "Captain American: Civil War" is the latest Marvel movie to earn <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=marvel2016.htm" target="_blank">over $1 billion</a> worldwide.</p><p>But there were many titles over the summer that didn't live up to the hype.</p><p>"Warcraft" hasn't even crossed the $50 million mark at the domestic box office ($47.2 million - though it's done much better overseas at over <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=warcraft.htm" target="_blank">$385 million</a>). Steven Spielberg's "The BFG" has puzzled audiences and is one of the rare Disney titles not connecting with audiences this year as it has only taken in <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bfg.htm" target="_blank">$113 million worldwide</a> (the <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&amp;id=stevenspielberg.htm&amp;sort=gross&amp;order=DESC&amp;p=.htm" target="_blank">worst wide release</a> ever for a Spielberg film). And "The Legend of Tarzan" has only done modest business with <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=tarzan2016.htm" target="_blank">$334.6 million worldwide</a>.</p><p>And then there are the poor performances by numerous sequels that frankly no one asked for.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Paramount</span></p><p class="caption">"Zoolander 2."</p></div><p></p></div></div>"Independence Day: Resurgence," "Alice Through the Looking Glass," "Zoolander 2," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" are some of the major summer sequels that seemed to be made more for business reasons by studios, many of them paying a pretty penny for the intellectual properties, rather than genuine interest from creatives or fans.</p><p>"Keeping up with trends is essential for the lifeblood of a studio," Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider. "This is a message from moviegoers: stop with the formulaic sequels."</p><p>Rotten Tomatoes editor-in-chief Matt Atchity looks at this year's summer-movie season as a big collection of ideas studios were late on.</p><p>"'Independence Day,' we needed that 10 years ago," <span>Atchity</span> told Business Insider. "'Angry Birds' is four years too late, 'Legend of Tarzan,' even 'Warcraft,' I think executives are not all that in touch with what the audience really wants."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Universal</span></p><p class="caption">"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping."</p></div><p></p></div></div>And Atchity notes that when the studios took "risks" (aka on original stories), like The Lonely Island comedy "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" or the Ryan Gosling/Russell Crowe buddy comedy "The Nice Guys," they got burnt. Those films have earned <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=topsecretuntitledlonelyislandmovie.htm" target="_blank">$9.4 million</a> and <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=niceguys.htm" target="_blank">$36.2 million</a>, respectively.</p><p>However, there were some titles that broke through this summer without the help of a franchise tag.</p><p>Thrillers like "The Shallows" and "Lights Out" had better-than-expected openings and the comedy "Bad Moms" is the strongest-performing release in the young life of its studio STX Entertainment.</p><p>"I think all of these are performing because there's a level of originality to them, but also these movies deliver a great group experience," "Lights Out" producer Lawrence Grey told Business Insider.</p><p>With the immense amount of content now available to binge on streaming services ("'Stranger Things' is talked about as much as any movie at the moment," Atchity said of the Netflix sensation), and the cost of movie tickets, audiences are much more selective about the movies they're going to the theater to see.</p><p>"Someone who wants to get out of their house and drive to a theater, I think they want to go to have a big, visceral experience," Grey said.</p><p>***</p><p>But here's the thing: Studios aren't made to survive off modestly budgeted genre hits, even when they over-perform. They need the dollars that come with blockbusters and because of that they have to continue to create them. Often it's sequels that come from proven franchises that will continue to get the green light.</p><p>"I don't believe that what we are seeing is evidence that audiences are tired of tentpoles, franchises, and sequels," STX Entertainment's motion picture chairman Adam Fogelson told Business Insider.</p><p>Bock agrees.</p><p>"Despite the massive sequel slump this summer, don't expect continuing sagas to fall off the face of the earth any time soon," he said. "In fact, the next three summers are already mapped out and look very similar to 2016. The only difference we might see is smaller studio films populating the release schedule, as they attempt to make up some of the sequel slack."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>New Line Cinema</span></p><p class="caption">"Lights Out."</p></div><p></p></div></div>In fact, the adjusting of Warner Bros.' summer release schedule is how "Lights Out" found its eventual release. Grey notes that originally the studio was going to put out the movie in September, an ideal time for a thriller. But after moving the tentpole "King Arthur" from its summer spot, executives replaced it with "Lights Out" following the overwhelmingly positive test scores they got from its screenings. Which proves you don't have to replace a big summer movie with an equally big title.</p><p>But that's a rare case. The summer-movie season will continue to be the time of year when studios show off their massive projects, frankly, because even when they are bad, we tend to go in droves to see them.</p><p>The latest example is Warner Bros.' DC Comics movie "Suicide Squad," which took in an estimated <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/suicide-squad-box-office-2016-8">$135.1 million</a> its first weekend, the biggest opening ever for an August release. Yet the movie has a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suicide_squad_2016/" target="_blank">26% rating</a> on Rotten Tomatoes. It's press has been universally bad. </p><p>"For all the audience's complaints about being sick of sequels and adaptations, just look at the <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/seasonal/?view=releasedate&amp;yr=2016&amp;season=Summer" target="_blank">top 10 box office for the summer</a> and see how many original stories there are," Atchity said.</p><p>The answer would be only two: the animated movie "The Secret Life of Pets" and the Kevin Hart/Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson comedy "Central Intelligence."</p><p>It was a summer of slumps. But for Hollywood, the rules to the game remain the same.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nerve-movie-directors-filmmakers-film-school-2016-7">The directors of 'Catfish' and 'Nerve' reveal how to make it in Hollywood without going to film school</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RreXN5NDE68YaL0hM_NBa5XqoaEnUsBi" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Why Hollywood hasn't learned anything from a miserable summer of box-office bombs

<div style="width: 100%; overflow: hidden;">
<p><span style="color: #000000; text-decoration: none; font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>This post is part of the <keyword id="1737060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Roadmap-To-The-Future">Roadmap To The Future</keyword> Series. Roadmap To The Future explores innovative industry trends and breakthroughs in science, entertainment, and technology. This series is sponsored by Verizon. </em></span></p>
</div><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">When it comes to animation, no one comes close to <keyword id="161299" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pixar">Pixar</keyword>. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">When it comes to <keyword id="6354839" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="marketing">marketing</keyword>, real life <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword> rule. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">But Pixar surprised us with their promotion of this year's upcoming film "<keyword id="1126321" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Monsters-University">Monsters University</keyword>."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>While most studios rely on trailers, movie posters, and simple social media tactics to attract audiences to theaters, Pixar has gone one step further.</span></span></p>
<p>The marketing department has created an entire functioning <a href="http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/" target="_blank">college website</a>.</p>
<p><div class="image-container click-to-enlarge" style="width:600px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Disney / Pixar screencap" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5102f85969bedd133200000c-960/pixar%20monsters%20university.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/index.html">Disney / Pixar screencap</a></p></div></p>
<p>Compare this to a real school's site and you will see zero difference.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The extensive site contains links for information on admission, a list of upcoming events on campus, a detailed campus map, and even a student handbook. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Here's the campus map. <span>If we didn't know better, we would think MU was a real place:</span></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span></p>
<p><table class="image-container click-to-enlarge" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><a title_source="Pixar" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/50e7488369bedd8e6d000006-960/screen shot 2013-01-04 at 4.23.10 pm.png"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://dolimg.com/monstersuniversity/assets/mu_campusMap_2.jpg">Pixar</a></p></td></tr></table></p>
<p>And here's MU gear, which you can actually buy:</p>
<p><div class="image-container click-to-enlarge" style="width:600px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Pixar" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/50e7490feab8ea3704000006-960/screen%20shot%202013-01-04%20at%204.25.29%20pm.png"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/store.html">Pixar</a></p></div></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>One reason it's so impressive is because the virtual site and marketing for the film reflects that of a blockbuster theatrical release similar to previous sites created for "</span><a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/15/cloverfield-a-viral-guide" target="_blank">Cloverfield</a><span>" and "</span><a href="http://thedarkknightviralsites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Dark Knight</a><span>" trilogy. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Sloane Kelley, an integrative strategy director at BFG Communications who <span>has worked with the "Harry Potter" franchise for Warner Bros., says she's never seen an animated film g<span>o to such great lengths to promote a feature online.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"This is a really unique approach and they're trying to capitalize on the experience," Kelley tells Business Insider. "They have this issue of getting audiences interested before the launch of a film. They have a real grassroots approach."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Tony Winders, senior VP of marketing for Gum Gum, has worked with Pixar on "Brave." He tells Business Insider movie studios normally spend $50,000 - $100,000 with his company on campaigns that normally last about four weeks. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"MU" isn't coming out until this summer, but the site has been up since last October. With a longer campaign, the marketing figure is certainly higher than that of a typical movie.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Winders, too, tells us he hasn't seen anything like this campaign. He says the use of contextual marketing is really useful. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"This way, there's a higher likelihood of it sticking in the minds of the target audience. Playing the ad during the Rose Bowl was perfect considering the nature of the film," Winders said.</span></p>
<p class="p1">We reached out to <keyword id="46161" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Disney">Disney</keyword> and Pixar and received no response about the strategy behind the website campaign.</p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">But according to Ad Age's June 2012 magazine, the Walt Disney Company spent over $2.1 billion on marketing in 2011. That's almost a 10 percent increase from what the Mouse House spent in 2010.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Of that $2.1 billion, Disney spent almost $550 million on television ads and over $100 million each for Internet and magazine ads. </p>
<p class="p1">Production <keyword id="6358021" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="budget">budget</keyword> numbers aren't available for "Monsters University," but we do know that Pixar <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=monstersinc.htm">spent $115 million</a> on creating the first film "Monsters, Inc." <a href="http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2001/MONST.php%20%20">with $50 million of that sum going towards marketing and advertising for the film</a>. Pixar's budget for its most recent movie, "Brave" was $185 million.</p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While we still have to wait until June 21 to see the much-anticipated prequel, here's a clip of Sully pranking Mike Wizowski to hold you over:</span></p>
<p></p>

Pixar's Marketing For 'Monsters University' Is Very Impressive

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Bill Hader used the anxieties he had on "Saturday Night Live" to create the character for his HBO series, "Barry," about a hitman who wants to be an actor - though he's awful at acting.</strong></li><li><strong>Hader said the biggest challenge was making a hitman show that didn't imitate classics in the genre like "Get Shorty" or "Grosse Pointe Blank."</strong></li><li><strong>He also opened up about helping to voice the "Star Wars" character BB-8 (and if he's getting any residuals from the work) and working alongside Tom Cruise in "Tropic Thunder."</strong></li></ul><p><br>Since walking away as a "Saturday Night Live" cast member in 2013, Bill Hader has bounced around doing a bunch of different things: showing off his dramatic chops in the indie "The Skeleton Twins," playing the leading man in "Trainwreck," doing a lot of voiceover work ("Inside Out," "Sausage Party," "The Angry Birds Movie," "The BFG"), and even contributing to the voice of BB-8 for "The Force Awakens."</br></p><p>Now he's returning to television for the HBO series, "Barry" (series premieres March 25), which he said was inspired by the years of anxiety he battled with while on "SNL."</p><p>Cocreating the series with Alec Berg ("Silicon Valley" executive producer), Hader plays the title character, a former Marine who is now a hitman completely burnt out and in a mid-life crisis. While on a job in Los Angeles, Barry suddenly finds acceptance when he mistakenly becomes part of a local theater class while tailing his target. Now Barry has to try to find a way to continue his passion (acting) while continuing his day job - as a hitman. The show also marks the first time Hader has ever directed, as he helmed the first three episodes.</p><p>Business Insider sat down with Hader last month to talk about how he channeled his fears on "SNL" - or as he put it, "the thing that you're good at is destroying you" - into a creative way to tell a hitman story, if he has received any residuals for voicing BB-8, and what it was like watching Tom Cruise become Les Grossman on the set of "Tropic Thunder."</p><p><strong>Jason Guerrasio: Was it harder to convince HBO of the "Barry" storyline or that you could play a hitman convincingly?</strong></p><p><strong>Bill Hader:</strong> [<em>Laughs</em>] I think it was maybe both. To be honest, HBO was really open. They didn't need a lot of convincing. I had a meeting with them and said, "I want to do a show," and they said, "We'd love to do something with you." And they had seen "The Skeleton Twins," and they liked my performance and saw that I wanted to branch out and do more than just sketch comedy. I think if Alec and I came in and pitched a broad comedy idea they wouldn't have been as interested. However, you say hitman and it conjures up images of a guy in a skinny tie with two 45s.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119229/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grosse Pointe Blank.</a>"&#xa0;&#xa0;</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> Exactly.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: But you take that idea of an outsider looking for a community and then bring in the whole arch of a guy dealing with a dead-end job. The kicker is, though, it just happens to be the job he hates is being a hitman.</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> That's exactly what it is. We thought what's the thing that we could relate to and just copy/paste hitman into it.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: So why a hitman?</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> I totally pulled it out of thin air, I'm going to be totally honest. Alec and I worked on an idea for a month and a half and it just wasn't jelling.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: What was that?</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> I can't remember, it was based on a guy I knew back home in Oklahoma and it was much more a weird guy in the Midwest. It was more in tune with the shows you see now that are led by comedians. This show is his daily life and daily struggles. And then we hit this place where it had no narrative pull, and I like things like that. Where each episode ends and you go, "What's going to happen next?" And it didn't have big stakes. That got us thinking, the biggest stakes are life and death. And I just said, "Well, why don't I play a hitman?" And Alec was like, "Ugh, I hate that word."&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: But if it's Jason Statham saying, "Why don't I play a hitman?" it's like, seen that before, but you saying it makes things interesting.&#xa0;</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> Yeah, because I said, "It's me." I remember going to HBO saying, "Okay, it's me as a hitman - but me." And they laughed and we pitched what essentially the pilot was, beat for beat. How art can heal a person. I love reading, I love music, to me these aren't recreational, they fulfill my life. So we made it as the thing this guy is good at is hurting him.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: And is it true the show also gave you an outlet to explore some of the anxieties you went through performing on "Saturday Night Live?"&#xa0;</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> 100 percent. That was the thing, at "SNL" the anxiety was so high. The longer I was on the show the better I was getting at the show but my anxiety didn't go down. It was actually going up. So, again, the thing that you're good at is destroying you.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Did you throw any specific experiences you dealt with on "SNL" into "Barry."&#xa0;</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> I do have a stage fright thing, it's gotten better. That was in the pilot a little. The closest thing in the pilot is when Barry goes to the bar with the theater class. I remember when I first got to "SNL" I was suddenly getting to hang out with Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers and Rachel Dratch, and Tina Fey, and Chris Parnell, all these people that I admired. And I would be at a bar with them and I felt very out of place. I have to work with them and they are all geniuses and I don't feel equipped.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>Guerrasio: You direct the first three episodes of the season, did that just happen by accident?</strong><p><strong>Hader:</strong> I wanted to direct. I said I wanted to direct the pilot and that was kind of a big thing. HBO came back and said, "We want to do this pilot," and I went, "Cool, I want to direct it." And they went, "Huh, well have you directed before?" And I was like, "No. But I've been on a lot of sets." And they were like, "Hmm." And I think the only reason they let me direct it was because Alec would be there and he's directed a ton of stuff for them. It was a thing I wanted to do my whole life. Before I wanted to be an actor. My heroes were all filmmakers. So getting a chance to do that was amazing.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: You've said you watched a lot of true crime shows and movies to prepare for this, was that for a visual style or story?</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> More story. It's so hard because you just don't want to make it a TV show about other TV shows or movies.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: You did not want to end up down the "<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113161/?ref_=nv_sr_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get Shorty</a>" road.&#xa0;</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> Yeah. It's so easy to end up there. And that's not to disparage Elmore Leonard or "Get Shorty." I remember we were out in the desert shooting a scene and I turn to Alec and I go, "We're doing 'Breaking Bad' right now." And he's like, "Yeah, I was thinking about that." We're thinking, hitman that wants to be an actor, chemistry teacher who wants to be a drug dealer, we were like "Fu--! How did we not see this?" But, I love "Breaking Bad" so it seeps in no matter what.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Gonna change it up a little before we're done. Did you do any BB-8 stuff for "The Last Jedi"?</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> No, no, no. That was really funny. That is J.J. Abrams being a really nice guy. That is him saying, "Oh, I know you like Star Wars, do you want to come in and do the thing?" But anybody could do that, what I did. It's a Peter Frampton talk box with an app J.J. had.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: It must be nice to be in the mythology.</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> Yeah. I mean, I'm singing BB-8 pictures now.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Is there such a thing as BB-8 residuals?</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> That's a good question, I should ask my business manager. [Laughs] You're finding out how bad I am at this. If my dad reads this he would lose his sh--. "You gotta know how much f---ing money you have, you moron!"</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: [<em>Laughs</em>]</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> I mean, I would hope so.&#xa0;But that was just J.J. calling me up and saying 'Hey man, you wanna come do this?' And I was like, sure. I did a voice initially, I tried it as a voice. And it didn't work. And I was like, "Well, there you go, it didn't work." And months later, I mean, there were billboards already out for the movie, and he called again and was like, "You wanna try again?"</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>Guerrasio: I read once in <a href="http://grantland.com/features/the-making-of-les-grossman-an-oral-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an interview</a> you did that you were kind of shocked to run into Tom Cruise at the premiere of "Tropic Thunder" because when you worked with him on the movie he was Les Grossman the whole time. Did you mean he was in character the whole time?</strong><p><strong>Hader:</strong> No. He wasn't Method or anything like that. It was just easy to talk to him because he was in that makeup. We're talking about "Risky Business" and I'm asking him questions about "Eyes Wide Shut" and he was so cool and so nice, but he was dressed as Les Grossman. But then seeing him at the premiere and he's like, "Hey, man" and I'm like, "Jesus, you're Tom Cruise!" and I got star struck because I finally was next to him without makeup.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio: Did you come up with any bits on the fly on set for Tom to do as Les?</strong></p><p><strong>Hader:</strong> No. That was him and [screenwriter] Justin Theroux and [director] Ben Stiller. I was off to the side. I was just laughing at it all. I would improvise little things. I was just always trying to get him to yell at me. I would come up with stupid things to get him to get mad. I basically did an impersonation of an executive from Paramount that me and Ben know. Ben just liked the energy of me being this weird calm guy and Les being this raging dude. But I don't think you can do Les Grossman right now. [<em>Laughs</em>] You would be in jail. It just seems he was a dying breed and hopefully dying in prison. [<em>Laughs</em>]&#xa0;</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-all-nine-2018-best-picture-oscar-nominees-are-connected-academy-awards-movies-2018-2">You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common - here's how</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div></hr>

Bill Hader reveals how his HBO show 'Barry' about a hitman was inspired by the years of anxiety he had while on 'Saturday Night Live'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/qiaomeng/5634531612/in/photolist-9zUrWL-otkek5-orvjKY-48nwRX-48rgVU-nBy41d-8Nzx5Q-r3y6U7-oA4WKs-r3FcxZ-qojZSB-7U2MTc-nhrqaY-ozPZzn-ozTG8d-8SzSv5-9zUszY-rV39-3cSnSq-7mPEMn-dWZv4m-fshi-sREvH-3GGWX-2FuuZ-oA4X3w-oBRwH2-oBRvYB-oiBKXP-oNSaLM-ozPYF8-oBRwBa-oA6Qf2-oiBLpR-oiBaQn-oiBbH4-ozTGAs-ozTH3Q-4z9Nv5-ejAdPU-rk3bLJ-r3ygiC-7dsfPA-ovi9X4-oML8yq-oKL5AY-oMw3Fg-oviSEF-b1toUR-otg2bv">Flickr/SimonQ????</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Gap was once so cool that Sharon Stone wore one of its turtlenecks to the Oscars.</p><p>But as consumers turned to cheaper fast-fashion alternatives, Gap failed to catch up. In the age of Instagram and instant fashion, the retailer's designs feel dated. </p><p>Now, America's largest apparel retailer is embarking on a turnaround plan to recapture cool customers by reinventing its supply chain to compete with brands like H&amp;M, Zara, and Forever 21. It's also overhauled marketing and made key hires. </p><h3>Faster supply chain</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Associated Press</span></p><p class="caption">People walk past a Gap store on Market Street in San Francisco, Calif., September 25, 1987.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Getting faster is a core tenet of Gap's plan.</p><p>The risk of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zaras-genius-business-model-and-retail-2013-11" target="_blank">trying to predict fashion trends</a> a year in advance is also weighing on the success of retailers such as Abercrombie &amp; Fitch, Ann Taylor, American Eagle, and others, according to Goldman Sachs. </p><p>If these retailers have a "fashion miss," it means markdowns, which hurts profits. </p><p>Gap is trying to get out of "misses" faster now.</p><p>"<span>So what I mean by rebuilt it is </span><span>we put multiple lanes in our product pipeline. It's got our seasonal lane, but we now have a really good responsive lane. And we have the ability to get back into what's working quicker and get out of what's not working faster,"</span> Gap President Jeff Kirwan said at an <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/3263525-the-gaps-gps-ceo-art-peck-hosts-2015-investor-meeting-conference-transcript?page=8" target="_blank">Investor's Conference</a> this year.</p><p>"So the story on supply chain is, as we've been telling it that we're continuing to push on it on a number of the elements, on platform fabric which enables us to get back into season very quickly on some of the test and respond that we've been doing," Gap CEO Art Peck said during an <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/3204366-gaps-gps-ceo-art-peck-on-q1-2015-results-earnings-call-transcript" target="_blank">earnings call</a> earlier this year.</p><p>A $35 pair of pants called "pixies" at Gap-owned Old Navy shows how the company is adapting to the fast fashion market.  </p><p>"Old Navy's pixies are the result of a new, quicker, and more flexible manufacturing model," <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/07/24/gap-jcrew-abercrombie/">reports Phil Wahba at Fortune</a>. "The brand rolls out pieces in small batches to test demand before mass-producing them, works more closely than ever with suppliers, and accommodates new trends by keeping a stockpile of fabric on hand."</p><p>This quick strategy might be why Old Navy is swiftly outpacing Gap. In 2014, the brand amassed $6.2 billion in revenue, making it <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-biggest-apparel-companies-in-the-us-2015-7" target="_blank">the third biggest apparel company</a>. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A woman shops at an Old Navy store.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"Old Navy is farthest ahead in realizing this with the changes that have taken place, obviously and the challenges in the business at Gap, changes in leadership, challenges in the business. Those two businesses lag. Banana is probably in the middle and Gap is farthest behind," Peck said in an <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/07/24/gap-jcrew-abercrombie/" target="_blank">earnings call</a> earlier this year.</p><h3>Adapting for the digital age</h3><p>Fortunately, a bright spot for the brand is its digital branch. </p><p>Fast Company <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3042434/gapquest">reported in April</a> that Peck is trying to focus on mobile shopping experiences, although the site reports he recognizes there are challenges in this.</p><p>"I would like to be able to articulate a nice linear path as to what our stores are going to evolve to," he told Danielle Sacks at Fast Company, "But I think it's going to be a lot messier than that."</p><p>Connecting with technology is crucial for the company to attract young customers.</p><p>"When it was the '70s, gosh, it was the go-to-place, The Gap, [but if you talk to millennials] they look at it as, yeah, maybe it's where you buy stuff for your kids," said Kevin Meany, CEO of consulting firm BFG.</p><h3>Key hires to become cool again</h3><p>Back in the day (the Oscars moment was in 1996), Gap was very cool - in part, because of its basics.</p><p>"They elevated incredible basics to not just an iconic status in terms of clothing, but also a spirit - you felt like there was such a strong attitude, so much energy," Jessica Navas, chief planning officer of Erwin Penland told Business Insider.</p><p>The brand has recently acknowledged mistakes like not offering enough colors, or making merchandise that was too trendy. </p><p>Earlier this year, Peck began to solve this problem by replacing creative director Rebekka Bay.</p><p>She was known for her fashion forwardness and experience with H&amp;M - but she might have been a bit too much for Gap's discerning customers. </p><p>He then made a series of key hires to help revive the brand.</p><p>Gap brought on Wendi Goldman of the controversial brand <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/c-wonder-is-closing-all-stores-2015-1" target="_blank">C. Wonder </a>(and formerly of the Gap's own Banana Republic) in February to Gap's executive vice president of product and development - a first for the brand, <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3042434/gapquest" target="_blank">Fast Company</a> notes.</p><p>Gap also hired Steven Sare from Japanese powerhouse Uniqlo to be senior vice president of global marketing and Alessandra Brunialti as vice president of women's designs.</p><h3>Becoming a marketing powerhouse</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Gap</span></p><p class="caption">One of Gap's iconic khaki ads from the '90s</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But can this new team capture fickle audiences?</p><p>That requires <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> - a sector where <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gap-advertising-campaigns-2011-5?op=1" target="_blank">Gap has struggled</a> recently.</p><p>Gap has recently <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gaps-new-ad-campaign-2015-7" target="_blank">launched a new ad campaign</a> for the fall, which was relatively simple compared to its recent series of misfires, including 2014's "dress normal" campaign, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gap-november-sales-down-4-percent-2014-12" target="_blank">resulted in several months of declining sales</a>.</p><p>Gap has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gap-tinder-marketing-campaign-backfires-2015-2" target="_blank">attempted </a>to get in the social media game with a campaign on widely used dating app Tinder. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Instagram and other social media outlets have played a big part in Gap's demise, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/business/gaps-fashion-backward-moment.html?ref=business">New York Times reports</a>, making <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/instagram-is-making-gap-feel-dated-2015-6" target="_blank">Gap feel "dated."</a></p><p>All of this likely frustrating, since at a time, Gap was known for its cutting-edge campaigns and commercials, many of which featured celebrities.</p><p>In the company's heyday, it ran a series of ads showing vintage photographs of Ernest Hemingway, James Dean, and Zsa Zsa Gabor wearing khakis, implying that artists and creatives wore its pants.  Television commercials like the iconic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knW1hGwmEXQ" target="_blank">Khaki Swing</a> ad resonated with customers. This is not the case anymore.</p><p>"That's all ancient history," Meany said to Business Insider. "It's what they read about, not what they're experiencing, and to them - Forever 21 &amp; H &amp;M are more meaningful to them, and probably resonate a lot better with their world and who they are."</p><h3>The next generation</h3><p>Gap might just be experiencing growing pains.</p><p>"[It's] very hard to migrate into the next generation," Meany said to Business Insider. "When I look at that, it's almost like they're in this awkward stage of development as a brand. They're too old to be the new innovative brand they were, but they're too new to be the vintage comeback brand."  </p><p>In May, Peck seemed optimistic about Gap's outlook. </p><p>"I'm pretty encouraged by what I see going forward," he said in the earnings call.</p><p>Three months later, it's unclear if Gap can regain its identity.</p><p>But the company is aiming to see changes come 2016.</p><p>"<span>So the foundation is built, and now we're just operationalizing it and trying to create more value as time goes on. And the full power of the product pipeline is going to evolve over time. And I think we'll see it really starting to show up in 2016," Kirwan said at an Investor's Conference this year.</span></p><p>When Gap reports earnings August 20, we'll see if the brand succeeds at making progress toward being<span> the cool retailer it once was.  </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zara-dominating-beating-competition-fashion-industry-2015-7">The one reason Zara is dominating the fashion industry right now</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RtMWI0djra013JV4Ff9AoHoTLKMzvgNg" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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