Gabrielle Falzone for H&M

Hamburg, the 24. of october 2012

OUR QUESTIONS TO THE BRIEF

1.  How do you judge the effect of your several partnerships (with Gucci, Comme des Garçons, Jimmy Choo,…) on your marketing aim of becoming a « cooler » brand: are you completely satisfied with this strategy or are there some critics to point out?

2. Is the launch of a range of basketball shoes just a one shot initiative or the start of a long term brand extension into sport retail?

3. You speak about the « social lubricants » as your core audience group. These last years, did your target strategy evolve?

4. Concerning the competition: these are mainly fashion labels. But do you feel threatened by brand discounters (TK Maxx) or online pure players (asos, net à porter)?

5. We read in your yearly report that your strategy is now to « strengten your offer ». On which elements of your value proposition exactly do you want to play in the future: price? Quality? Fashion level?

HOW WE UNDERSTOOD THE TASK

H&M HAS ACHIEVED TO SEDUCE A BROAD RANGE OF CONSUMERS THANKS TO A TWO-FORKED VALUE PROPOSITION.

« Fashion and quality at the best price. »

It is appealing to people with higher incomes who, even though they

could afford more expensive brands, purchase an H&M item because of

its level of style.

It is appealing to people with lower incomes who look for the best deal, without

giving up on style (what a Primark or a Bonprix can’t deliver on).

HOWEVER, THE BALANCE IS SHIFTING: H&M’S CONSUMERS ARE GETTING OLDER AND EARNING LESS.

In Germany, the H&M consumer’s profile is evolving in the direction of classical discounters (KiK, Primark, Bonprix): -  46% (+ vs. 2011) earn less than 1000 euros.

-  45% (+ vs. 2011) are more than 40 years old.

(source: Nielsen TdW 2012 III)

THIS MEANS: H&M IS LOSING ATTRACTIVITY FOR THE YOUNG & WEALTHY CONSUMERS, WHO SPEND A LOT ON FASHION.

People between 20 and 29 years old.

They are stylish, trend setting, expressive. Their common aspects: highly individualized, fascinated by new technologies, expressing themselves through lifestyle and consumption, hyper mobile.

Their favourites brands: Urban Outfitters Uniqlo, The Kooples, Fred Perry and small labels.

AND THIS DESPITE THE EFFORTS OF THE BRAND TO STRENGTHEN ITS FASHION EDGE.

See the recent very hype partnerships: whether with the known by few Swedish Hasbeens (summer 2011) or with the « avant-garde » French brand Martin Margiela (winter 2012).

WHY IS THAT SO?

FIRST: H&M IS TOO MAINSTREAM…WHEN FASHION ADDICTS LOOK FOR ORIGINALITY.

The H&M own products match everyone’s taste and are worn by the whole world. As a customer said: «the problem with H&M is that you will probably find two or three girls tomorrow with the exact same item. »   

« Exactitudes » Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek

SECOND: H&M DOESN’T HAVE A STYLE OF ITS OWN…BUT JUST ADOPTS THE STYLE OF OTHERS .

H&M multiplies the collections with designers who have one point in common: a very strong aesthetic. The brand is constantly showing content and an identity that isn’t its own.

« Camouflage » Liu Bolin

THE RESULT: H&M IS NOT PERCEIVED AS A FASHION BRAND. BUT AS THE WORLD’S CLOTHING WAREHOUSE.

SO THE CORE OBJECTIVE:

« In the future, fast fashion might change their philosophy toward real efforts to create a world of their own. » Hedi Slimane.

To conquer the young and stylish audience, stop being a warehouse, an empty shell without personality. Get a positioning that is both unique and desirable enough to be a true alternative to all the other options available.

BEWARE: H&M SHOULD STICK TO WHAT ALREADY BELONGS TO IT.

ITS SCOPE: worldwide. ITS COMPETENCE: fashion flair and curating skills.

ITS MINDSET: bold and pioneering.

BUT BRING IT UNDER A NEW LIGHT.

FROM THE WORLD’S FASHION WAREHOUSE Worldwide as in: standardizing styles.

Fashion flair and curating skills as in: copying established conventions.

Bold and pioneering as in: once breaking borders between catwalk and streetwalk, now just showing Beckham in pants.

BUT BRING IT UNDER A NEW LIGHT.

FROM THE WORLD’S FASHION WAREHOUSE Worldwide as in: standardizing styles.

Fashion flair and curating skills as in: copying established conventions.

Bold and pioneering as in: once breaking borders between catwalk and streetwalk, now just showing Beckham in pants.

TO…

Worldwide as in: embracing the world’ styles in all their diversity.

Fashion flair and curating skills as in: discovering upcoming trends.

Bold and pioneering as in: once breaking borders between catwalk and streetwalk, now breaking borders between countries.

BUT BRING IT UNDER A NEW LIGHT.

FROM THE WORLD’S FASHION WAREHOUSE Worldwide as in: standardizing styles.

Fashion flair and curating skills as in: copying established conventions.

Bold and pioneering as in: once breaking borders between catwalk and streetwalk, now just showing Beckham in pants.

TO…THE WORLD’S TREND HUNTER

Worldwide as in: embracing the world’ styles in all their diversity.

Fashion flair and curating skills as in: discovering upcoming trends.

Bold and pioneering as in: once breaking borders between catwalk and streetwalk, now breaking borders between countries.

THE WORLD’S TRENDHUNTER

H&M hunts, selects and brings all the fashion trends of the world to customers.

« THE WORLD’S TREND HUNTER » IS A MISSION.

It reactivates H&M pioneering spirit that has gone lost with the years.

In a world where music, art, cinema, constantly live from the exchanges and synergies between countries, where French listen to British music, German watch Bollywood movies, and Americans eat japanese food, fashion trends are still very country limited. Sure, small labels achieve to grow in other countries, but when it comes to big names, the only ones making the jump are brands like Uniqlo or Zara, and they propose standardized globalized styles. With its worldwide antennas and unique flair, H&M breaks down the borders.

« THE WORLD’S TREND HUNTER » IS A PROMISE.

It taps into key insights of young stylish people.

They fall in love with Muji to get the Japanese feel. They run to Colette to shop for the last swedish designers. They follow the « Street Style in Berlin/Paris/London/Tokyo… » blogs to discover how people dress in other cities. This audience is looking for new sources of inspiration, outside their own country’s norms. They like to enrich their style with unconventional exciting items, curious about what’s going on beyond their own borders.

HOW TO BRING THE POSITIONING TO LIFE?

1. START THE HUNT.

Basketball shoes are the best weapons to start a world trend hunt: casual and stylish. And since these shoes have always been customized, signed and personalized, H&M will use them as a white canvas. Conceived by H&M designers, city sneakers collections are launched: the Copenhagen collection will be in linen, the Beijing collection will play with embroidery and symbols,… Each country’s signs, fabrics, trends will be reflected in the shoe. A traditional campaign could support the launch: famous cultural icons of each country running in their city.

2. WIN THE HUNT.

The hunt game is launched in every capital: people having bought the sneakers can take part in a mobile street game. The aim: catching the ticket to the H&M World Hunt. You get it when you’re closer than 50 metres, but everybody within 50 metres can take it from you. If you still have it after one week of gaming, you win the ticket and get the dream job: the first officially recruited trend hunter, paid by H&M for visiting the world and reporting.

3. TAKE PART IN THE HUNT.

H&M also launches the first Fashion World Trend Hunting website. An interactive trend website, crowdsourcing all the trends spotted by motivated hunters: everybody can be recruited to become a city trend hunter and post its content on the website. You can look whether for a specific country and get an overview of the current trends, or for an item and see all the different country trends concerning this subject: eg. Type « boots » and discover that in Paris, girls love deer low boots, in Berlin moon boots are still not outdated, in Japan dyed fur boots are the big hit,…

4. SHOW THE RESULT OF THE HUNT.

H&M starts regular Country/City collections: from make up (French girls use grey nail polish, Corean girls love the 1 minute beauty masks,…) to clothes, these special collections creatively at the top of the game are a snapshot into a different country style. Special corners pop up in the H&M stores.

THE WORLD’S TRENDHUNTER

Is a mission only H&M can own because of its worldwide

antennas and pioneering spirit. Makes a promise both

attractive and surprising for the younger stylish audience.

Signs the reestablishment of a highly competitive fashion expertise and unique design skills, that don’t

just copy, but create.