GAP BLITZ BEGINS: TV, OUTDOOR, RADIO TO TOUT ICON'S OVERHAUL.

Byline: David Moin

New York - Gap is pulling out all the stops in what will be a pivotal fall season.

As pressure for change mounts, amid slumping sales and investor impatience, Gap brand executives say their $6.8 billion business (the largest division of the $16 billion Gap Inc.) is about to climb out of its hole and that they are reworking just about every aspect of the operation to show a difference this fall.

Among the maneuvers is one of the company's most complex and ambitious advertising campaigns. It kicks off July 20 and is marked by a return to TV advertising after over a year's absence. There's also radio advertising, which hasn't been done since the late Nineties; outdoor ads for the first time in two years, and print ads. It will be supported by in-store events at key locations, including live bands, shopping parties with stylists, customized T-shirts and redesigned shopping bags.

The message centers on what executives called the "reinvention of Gap iconic items" in updated silhouettes, styles, colors and fits. And for the first time, the advertising will unfold in three different installments during the fall season, and for holiday, there will be two installments of the campaign. In …