H&M COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY FOR 2013

Adam Peerbaccus

TABLE OF CONTENT

2

• Situation Overview

• Objectives

• Strategic Recommendation

• Bringing It To Life

5 Key questions I wish I could have asked the client. • What do you mean by ‘massperational fashion’?

• What are the plans for H&M in the next 5 years?

• What do you feel your competitors are doing particularly we! to ‘spoil your party’?

• Sport isn’t mentioned as an interest of your ‘core audience group’. In regards to that, how did you decide that launching a range of basketba! shoes would be the right bridge to change perceptions?

• How wi! the control, the design team in the company’s Swedish office have, affect our plans for creative execution of the campaign, specifica!y regarding ‘Limited Edition’ products?

SITUATION OVERVIEW

WHERE IS H&M TODAY?

SINCE 1947, H&M HAVE GROWN FROM A SINGLE WOMENSWEAR STORE, TO ONE OF THE BIGGEST GLOBAL COMPANIES OFFERING FASHION FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.

4

WHILST SALES AND BRAND AWARENESS IS IMPRESSIVE, H&M IS EXPERIENCING SOME TROUBLES; THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN WHAT H&M SAYS IT IS AND WHAT PEOPLE THINK H&M IS.

WHAT YOU SAYYOU ARE

WHAT PEOPLE SAYYOU ARE

“Fashion and qualityat the best price.”

“StreetWalkCool”

“When I was younger I liked H&M alot, now I find it boring &

think it’s not very cool”

WHO SAYS WHAT?

WHAT’S THE CAUSE?

LISTED BELOW ARE COMMENTS RECORDED BY THE TARGET AUDIENCE THAT ILLUSTRATE TWO KEY POINTS.

5

WHAT IS “Fashion and quality at the best price / StreetWalkCool”?

How do you apply “FASHION AND QUALITY AT THE BEST PRICE / STREETWALKCOOL” TO YOUR LIFE?

•

•

“I bought some cheapie flats at H&M and they are so cute, but I didn’t realise how stiff

the fabric is that they are made of.”

“The quality is what you expect for the price you pay.”

Blank stares, stutters“It’s not exactly a statement I choose to live by,

StreetWalkCool”

“I like to think I have my own style of ‘StreetWalkCool’, but its nothing I rea!y think about labe!ing - it just is what it is”

Resonates with target audience

But it does not activate their aspirations

To better understand the cause, the 2 questions were asked of our primary target:The statements shown are a representation of the overriding response.

Cities asked: Manchester, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Sydney,

To activate the target consumer, we need a brand story where relate-ability stems from underlying aspirations, not from an accepted belief. This way the brand story can go beyond ad executions to mobilise a wider movement, rooted in pop culture.

WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?

TELL A BRAND STORY THAT RESONATES, BUT ALSO ACTIVATES.

6

Bring the brand story to life

Accepted belief Call - to - ActionActivate Shared

Aspirations

Inspire wider Movement, rooted in pop culture

Ad executed brand story Ad executions and beyond

OBJECTIVES

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES?

IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION AND H&M’S 2013 GOAL, WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES.

8

BUSINESS OBJECTIVE

GLOBAL SALES

COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVE

CHANGE PERCEPTION

• Significantly Grow international sales

FROM TO

“Irrelevant” “Effortlessly cool/spontaneous/surprising/exciting”

(Please refer to next slide explaining Global sales vs Basketba! shoes)

HOW SHOULD WE MEASURE SUCCESS?

WHILST THE LAUNCH OF THE BASKETBALL SHOES WOULD INDEED CHANGE THE PERCEPTION PEOPLE HAVE OF H&M, IT COULD BE DETRIMENTAL FOR THE BRAND’S EQUITY.

9

• Despite the strength of the brand, H&M lacks the immediate association with sports performance.

• H&M have done well to establish their reputation of catwalk fashion with streetwear looks, through collaborations with well-known high-end designers.

• We must first address the core perception of brand, before extending into categories with little/no emotional connection to the target market.

ANALYSIS IMPLICATION

• Consequently, we bare in mind that H&M wish to gain a stronger association with ‘sports performance’, when determining the new brand positioning.

• By focusing on the sale of basketball shoes, we risk alienating H&M’s current consumers which could diminish the brand’s equity.

AS WELL AS INCREASED GLOBAL SALES, WE CAN IDENTIFY A POSITIVE CHANGE IN PERCEPTION BY...

• Increased number of site visits

• Increased number of Facebook fans

• Volume of positive, unsolicited media impressions

STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATION

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

H&M MUST SHIFT COMMUNICATIONS FROM “STITCHING MANY STORIES TOGETHER” TO “SPREADING ONE MAIN STORY THAT BREAKS INTO MANY SUB-STORIES.”

11

From Stitching to breaking

Stitching many stories together

one main brand story that breaks into many sub-stories

Designer co!aborations

Malin B-Johnsson

Lana + Beckham

Main Story(see ‘recommended

positioning’)

Sub-Story

Sub-Story

Sub-Story

Sub-Story Su

b-St

ory

Sub-Story

Sub-Story

CURRENT H&M COMMUNICATIONS PRIMARILY ADDRESS PERCEPTION AND MISS OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE BEHAVIOUR.

DETERMINING THE BRAND STORY

THE MAIN BRAND STORY THAT BREAKS INTO MANY SUB-STORIES MUST BE CREDIBLE TO THE BRAND, DISTINCTIVE TO THE LAND AND RELEVANT TO THE FANS.

12

1

positioning

3

Credible to the BRAND

2Relevant to the

fansDistinctive to

the land

CREDIBLE TO THE BRAND

H&M HAS A UNIQUE HUNTING HERITAGE: IT WASN’T UNTIL ERLING PERSSON BOUGHT THE HUNTING AND FISHING EQUIPMENT STORE MAURITZ WIDFORSS THAT HENNES BECAME HENNES & MAURITZ.

13

IF WE LOOK AT THE WORD ‘HUNT’, WE CAN SEE IT STARTS TO DEFINE A PARTICULAR ATTITUDE.

hunt |hənt|verb1 [ trans. ] pursue and kill (a wild animal) for sport or food : in the autumn they hunted deer | [ intrans. ] they hunted and fished.• [ intrans. ] try to find someone or something by searching carefully : he desperately hunted for a new job.• ( hunt something out/up) search for something until it is found.• ( hunt someone down) pursue and capture someone.

THE HUNTING ATTITUDE

‘To be hunting’ is a term that is not only future facing, but extremely driven. It’s a human truth; everybody’s looking for something*, be it love, happiness, the truth, or a goal they wish to achieve. However, it is the determination hunters display that is awe-inspiring.

*Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Eurythmics (1983)

RELEVANT TO THE FANS

H&M WANT TO COMMUNICATE TO THE 18-24YR OLD ‘SOCIAL LUBRICANTS’, PEOPLE LIKE VICKY. VICKY SEES HERSELF IN THE HUNTING ATTITUDE BECAUSE HER LIFEAHOLIC WAY OF LIFE ENCOMPASSES THIS MENTALITY.

14

WHY DOES VICKY HAVE THE HUNTING ATTITUDE?

Vicky always charges forward• She’s always out in !ont, she moves fast, lives a fast-paced life (‘leads without leading’) and refuses the status quo, escaping !om what she’d ca& a du& and ordinary life (‘does not wear beige’). Her actions show she doesn’t have the time to dwe& in the past.

Vicky is driven by the thrill of the hunt• What’s driving her is new tastes and the unexperienced. This never-ending journey self-fulfi&s her and fuels her lifeaholic way of life.

DISTINCTIVE TO THE LAND

LOOKING AT THE BRANDS THAT TRY TO SPOIL H&M’S PARTY, NO OTHER BRAND LIKE H&M COME CLOSE TO OWNING THIS HUNTING ATTITUDE.

Zara UniqloOVERVIEW

1

RECOMMENDED POSITIONING

BY COMBINING H&M’S HERITAGE AND THE HUNTING ATTITUDE WITH VICKY’S PERSONALITY, YOU OBTAIN THE FOLLOWING POSITIONING.

16

H&M BRINGS OUT THE MAVERICK IN YOU

the BRAND

THE fans the land

RECOMMENDED POSITIONING

Hunting heritage &hunting attitude

Vicky’s lifeaholic life =hunting attitude

The only brand that canown the hunting attitude

32

HOW DOES IT ADAPT TO H&M’S TOV?

A MAVERICK IS SOMEONE THAT IS...

• Effortlessly Cool = Stylish, Iconic,

• Spontaneous = Daring, Meaningful

• Surprising = Provocative, Original

• Exciting = Bold, Confident

Current mavericks of society that represent H&M values.

Lana Del Rey

Delilah

Frank Ocean

Azealia Banks Felicity Jones

Robert Pattinson Kristen Stewart

Ryan Gosling

Oscar Pistorius

Mario Balote!i

Music Film Sport

WHY DOES THE WORLD NEED H&M?

THE WORLD NEEDS H&M BECAUSE IT BRINGS OUT THE MAVERICK IN YOU.

18

WHAT’S A MAVERICK?

maverick |ˈmav(ə)rik|noun1 an unorthodox or independent-minded person : a free-thinking maverick.

H&M BRINGS OUT THE MAVERICK IN YOU

What is life if not one big adventure? A hunting ground; a playground full of unexplored places and experiences just waiting for the bold, the daring, the purposeful to discover them. Fearless pioneers, unafraid of breaking with convention, charging ahead and going where no one has gone before. Not everyone has the courage to embark on such a journey. It requires a true maverick spirit. Visionaries and trailblazers who throw caution to the wind and chase their dreams into the unknown. In the 1940‘s Erling Persson bought the hunting and fishing equipment store Mauritz Widforss. It was then that the H&M brand was not only born, but a kindred spirit was found. A hunting attitude that transcends far beyond the forests of Sweden.

BRINGING THE MAVERICK POSITIONING TO LIFE

WHERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY?

CURRENTLY, H&M DOES NOT EXPLOIT ITS MAXIMUM POTENTIAL TO DRIVE BEHAVIOUR. OUR AIM NOW IS TO ELEVATE BRAND PERCEPTION AND BUILD AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH CONSUMERS CENTRED AROUND SHARED INTERESTS (I.E BRINGING OUT YOUR MAVERICK) TO INCREASE BRAND PREFERENCE AND DRIVE TO SALES.

20

Shared media

earned media

reach + invite Participate + shop amplify

MONOLOGUE DIALOGUE TRILOGUE

Bought media

Tv Commercial Print ad

opportunity opportunityOwned media

.com EventsFanpage

opportunity

PR coverageSocial media

opportunity

Brand to consumer Brand to consumer to brand

Consumer to consumer about brand

THE MAVERICK’S WORLD

NOTHING IS MORE POWERFUL THAN WHEN CONSUMERS MAKE YOUR BRAND STORY PART OF THEIR STORY. WE CAN EXERT MORE CONTROL OVER HOW PEOPLE TALK ABOUT H&M BY ENSURING THAT THE EXPERIENCE WE DELIVER IS IN LINE WITH OUR MAVERICK POSITIONING.

THE MAVERICK’S WORLD IS EFFORTLESSLY COOL, SPONTANEOUS, SURPRISING & EXCITING.

1. MAVERICK AMBASSADORSWE WILL SELECT A GROUP OF MAVERICKS AND USE THEM AS AMBASSADORS TO CREATE CONTENT TO LIVE ON H&M.COM. EVERY MAVERICK WE COLLABORATE WITH WOULD USE THEIR OWN WEBSITES, BLOGS, FACEBOOK, TWITTER PROFILES ETC TO SEED THEIR CONTENT AND DRIVE PEOPLE TO H&M.COM AND H&M’S FACEBOOK PAGE. WE WILL BORROW FROM THEIR EXISTING FAN BASE, TO FURTHER EXTEND H&M’S REACH.

22

Meet Maxime Buechi

At H&M.COM

Entrepreneur, Publisher & Tattoo Artist/ Switzerland

Maxime BuechiEntrepreneur, Publisher

& Tattoo Artist

• Outdoor posters will inspire people with quotes and drive them to H&M.com

KEY VISUALS

Buechi’s hand printedt-shirt

EXCLUSIVE PRODUCT OFFERING• In collaboration with H&M, each maverick will design a limited edition product for the ‘Maverick’ collection.

• Their creative journey will be documented on film and can be viewed on H&M.com

• The limited edition products can be reserved for purchase via H&M’s Facebook page or won in competitions.

As the campaign ro!s out we wi! add more mavericks, which wi! create even more content.

At H&M.COM

At H&M.COM

Meet Yoann Lemoineaka Woodkid

Meet Lucy McRae

Filmmaker & Musician/ France

Body Architecht & Sculptor/ Netherlands

A STREETVIEW LOOKBOOK

2. DIGITAL LOOKBOOK/CITY GUIDEOUR LOCAL MAVERICKS ARE EVERYWHERE; ASIA, EUROPE, LATIN AMERICA AND THE US. AS OUR MAVERICK AMBASSADORS, WE WILL ASK THEM FOR THEIR PERSONAL POV ON THEIR CITY. THEY WILL DISCLOSE THEIR FAVOURITE HANGOUTS AND DIVE BARS AND ALL THE OFF-THE-BEATEN-TRACK LOCATIONS THAT FUEL THEIR IMAGINATIONS. WITH THIS INFORMATION WE WILL PRESENT A VERY UNIQUE, IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE.

23

• We will shoot our ‘models’ on location in real-life scenarios.

• A ‘Streetview’ vibe, whereby the consumer can navigate and explore around the locations of our mavericks, from a first person pov.

• As well as being able to see the clothes from the H&M collection (all images are tagged to detail information about the products and include a seemless path-to-purchase), they can also find out about our maverick’s hangouts.

• In some instances, we will animate elements of the map when selected, to really capture the essence of the spontaneous and exciting lifestyle.

• We can form partnerships with the venues and promote exclusive events that will appeal to our target.

CROWD SOURCING CONTENT• To embrace the styling-individuality consumers exercise with H&M items, a separate tab will also allow fans to upload their own photos. This will be curated by respected blogger The Selby.

• An Instagram feed will also upload images to the lookbook.

3. PR STUNTS & GLOBAL EVENTWHAT MAKES A MAVERICK AN ICON IS THE LEGACY THEY BUILT FOR THEMSELVES. THE IMPRESSION THEY MAKE ON THE WORLD, THATS REMAINS LONG AFTER THEY ARE GONE, IN CELEBRATION OF PAST MAVERICKS H&M WILL RESURRECT ICONS OF ART, FILM, AND MUSIC AND INSPIRE A GENERATION TO NOT BE AFRAID TO PUT THEIR SPIN ON CONVENTIONAL IDEAS AND TRADITIONS.

24

3D HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONWho Framed Roger RabbitTupac, Coache!a ‘12 Madonna & Gorilaz, Grammys ’06

Realistic Interactive unexpected

KEY CULTURAL MOMENTSWe will identify key cultural moments in the calendar that we can leverage, in order to engage with our target consumer where they naturally show an interest.

• Fashion (i.e Milano Fashion Week)• Art (i.e Art Basel)• Film (i.e Cannes Film Festival)• Music (i.e Glastonbury)

• At these events an exclusive pop-up store will showcase limited edition products from H&M’s collection.

HOW WILL WE DO IT?• Using 3D holographic projection that has previously been used to great impact for Tupac’s 2012 Coachella appearance. We aim to push the boundaries of the technology even further.

• We will orchestrate guerilla style projections that will surprise and baffle onlookers, at some of the most prestigious events on the 2013 calendar.

• We will show some of the most respected icons the world has ever known, interact with realtime environments and remind people of their maverick spirit. James Dean @ Cannes ’13

&

3. PR STUNTS & GLOBAL EVENTWE EXPECT COUNTLESS MEDIA IMPRESSIONS FROM OUR PR STUNTS. THESE WILL BE HIGH IMPACT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY SHORT LIVED WITHOUT A SUPPORTING EXPERIENCE TO COMPLIMENT THEM. THIS IS WHY WE PROPOSE THESE STUNTS ULTIMATELY LEAD TO AN EVENT THAT H&M WILL HOST THEMSELVES. A ONE TIME ONLY GIG FEATURING THE MOST ICONIC MAVERICK OF RECENT YEARS, AMY WINEHOUSE.

ROLLOUT CALENDAR AMY WINEHOUSE, KOKO LONDON• We will stage a concert in Camden, London, the home of Amy Winehouse, at the legendary Koko venue. It will mark what would have been Winehouse’s 30th Birthday.

• The event will celebrate the immeasurable impact Winehouse had on pop culture as she became one of the most successful female artists of all time.

• We will arrange unique collaborations between Winehouse and some of todays rising mavericks of music (i.e Lana Del Rey)

AMPLIFY• The up-coming event will be hyped and PR’d across Facebook and in store. We will also commission a special mural to be painted, announcing the event, which will remain after gig

• We will offer exclusive sneak-preview opportunities to the bloggers who are invited to attend.

• The event will be streamed live via our own H&M branded Youtube gadget. So those not fortunate enough to win tickets can still share in this experience.

• Limited edition products inspired by Winehouse will be produced and commemorative dvd of the event.

Sept

embe

rJu

lyM

ayJa

nuar

y

Monroe

Dean

Cash

Winehouse

Warhol

25

Lana Del Rey & Amy Winehouse

TACK SÅ MYCKET

Adam Peerbaccusemail: adam.peerbaccus@gmail.com

skype id: iam_adamski

linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-peerbaccus/40/850/256