HM Fashion

H&M Fashion and Quality at its Best Price

Leah-Marie Marsang

00044231

College of Science Technology Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract In this paper, we look at the European born fashionable clothing store, H&M. We gain knowledge of the brief history of the store, where it began, who started it and how it became worldwide.

Also discussed, the different services and products H&M provide its consumer, who does it provide such products to and in what categories.

We can also read about the different collaborations H&M did to provide variety to the line. We speak about their campaigns that they produce every season to mesmerize their consumers and also their ads that they print or make video.

H&M Fashion and Quality at its Best Price
Many clothing stores in the fashion industry cannot take their brand worldwide. This is because of different niche markets, not enough funding and it does not satisfy the needs of many. H&M has beaten the odds and has made a name for it worldwide by starting off in Sweden and making its way across the continent to the United States.

Method
Overview

Hennes & Mauritz is a Swedish formed brand which was established in Västerås 1947 by Erling Persson. It was first named Hennes, which means ‘hers’ in Swedish, because they only sold cloth for women were sold. Persson bought a a company in 1969 which was produced with men’s wear, and that store was named Mauritz.

It officially became H&M and only had one store location in the United States in 2000. It has been such a success in the United States that the chain has expanded from one store location in New York to over 169 stores. Today, H&M has stores in 29 different countries with 68,000 employees all over the world.

Basic Products and Services Offered

H&M provide fashionable clothing for everyone. Women and teens have a varied choice of designs, trends and sizes at their leisure at the store. They have everything from evening dresses to cheap everyday wear like tank tops for $5US. H&M has a lot of knit coats this upcoming fall season and most clothes in their stores are anywhere from $5 to $100US price range. In the Female category they provide: jeans, pants, tops, cardigans and sweaters, shorts, shirts and blouses, dresses, jackets and coats, lingerie, sportswear, swimwear, blazers and waistcoats, socks and tights, sleepwear, cosmetics, shoes, accessories, maternity wear and Plus Size 14-24 The Male category includes: jackets and coats, t-shirts, vests, sweaters and cardigans, shirts, pants, hoodies, sweatshirts, jeasn, sportswear, jackets and suits, underwear and socks, swimwear, shoes and accessories. Clothing for children is also available from newborn to fourteen year olds and beyond. H&M also allows everyday people to own pieces from famous designers. Some designers who have offered their exclusive collections include, Karl Laggerfeld, Stella Mc Cartney, Victor & Rolf, Roberto Cavalli, Kylie Minogue, Versace and Jimmy Choo for shoes.

Campaigns and Campaign Design At H&M, they show their theme of ‘fashion and quality at the best price’ by doing many different advertising campaigns around the world yearly whether it be print or video. These campaigns are created in Sweden by the marketing department alongside creative professionals which they source from all over the world. Their ads are made to be simple and clear and its goal is to let the customer know what is new with H&M. (Responsible Marketing).

H&M ads are very minimalistic. The ad will feature a model in a piece from the upcoming collection, with a plain background. Very rare it would have a scene at the back unless it is for beach wear. The ad has the company’s logo and if it is collaboration for the season then they would have the designer’s name displayed on the print. Just as the print, the video ads are the same. The video ads are very quick and straight to the point just as the printed version. These ads are simple yet effective and has been working for the company for many years. The customer must know that they are watching an H&M advertisement even if the logo was not presented on the screen or print.

For every new season that comes along they try to show new models with a variety of looks, cultural background and styles to advertise their ideas for women, men, teenagers and children. (Responsible Marketing).

They choose their models from their own house representative models and also models from world renowned agencies. They look for “healthy” models to showcase their current trends. In recent times, H&M has been penalized for featuring “unhealthily thin” models in their ads. At times, H&M used CGI to make waifish bodies where they would drop the models’ heads onto the bodies as needed. They then tried something new by using a “normal” figured woman, Jennie Runk, a size 12 American to advetrtise their new swim wear. This did not work out very well but the idea behind it was they found someone “who can illustrate this collection in and inspiring and clear way.” (Ad Week, 2013)

In addition to know, they distance themselves from drug and alcohol abuse, for example with the Kate Moss incident, and they would now take models that do not portray the brand in the way their advertising policy states. (Responsible Marketing).

H&M is also involved in having cause related campaigns. This is run every year and is called Fashion Against Aids. They target teenagers and young adults to inform them about safe sex and raise awareness of HIV/AIDS around the world. (Responsible Marketing). This is available around the world and online in the H&M young adult section, Divided. One year, they did a collection bringing ethnic influences from different continents together. (Fashion Against Aids).

International artists and illustrators commissioned special prints for this collection to present pieces with loud colours, authenticity and patterns. 25% of these sales went to different HIV/AIDS awareness projects around the world. (Fashion Against Aids)

To advertise their children’s collection, the H&M ad team must follow the specific guidelines presented to them. they do not place ads in media that is directed to children because it’s the parents they want to target since they are making the purchase, not the children. Contrary to other children clothing stores, they do not force their child models to model. They do it on their own free will. When children are cast into doing a photo shoot, there is always a representative there to make sure that the children’s safety is main priority and that the surroundings are utmost professional. General Discussion When examining H&M campaigns and campaign designs we can see that they go with a little goes a long way. Their ads are straight forward and clear cut making it very easy for consumers to understand and relate to them. They promote good health and that their clothing are not only for skinny individuals. Their campaigns make sure it is satisfying to the customer and also they give back to society by conducting cause related campaigns.

References
Fashion Against Aids. (n.d.). Fashion Against Aids. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://about.hm.com/content/hm/NewsroomSection/en/NewsRoom/NewsroomDetails/Fashion-against-aids.html/
H&M Winning Raves for Having a Normal-Looking Woman Model Its Beachwear | Adweek. (n.d.). AdWeek. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/hm-winning-raves-having-normal-looking-woman-model-its-beachwear-149234
Responsible marketing. (n.d.). Responsible marketing. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://about.hm.com/en/About/Sustainability/Commitments/Be-Ethical/Responsible-Marketing.html

References: Fashion Against Aids. (n.d.). Fashion Against Aids. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://about.hm.com/content/hm/NewsroomSection/en/NewsRoom/NewsroomDetails/Fashion-against-aids.html/ H&M Winning Raves for Having a Normal-Looking Woman Model Its Beachwear | Adweek. (n.d.). AdWeek. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/hm-winning-raves-having-normal-looking-woman-model-its-beachwear-149234 Responsible marketing. (n.d.). Responsible marketing. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://about.hm.com/en/About/Sustainability/Commitments/Be-Ethical/Responsible-Marketing.html