Hennes & Mauritz also known as H&M came out with a campaign in the year 2016, for their autumn collection. The campaign tried to confront modern ideas of femininity and portrays women of different ethnicities, characteristics and ages. The women in the advert are portrayed in their rawest form and they embrace their natural selves. Each woman appears to be comfortable and self-assured.
H&M had tried to portray the message of individuality through the diverse characteristics of women ranging from their hairstyle and colour to their age and body shape. The advertisement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-RY6fWVrQ0 features a female boxer, natural haired singer, a plus-size model, a transgender, a septuagenarian and a Swedish model famed for being who she is without hesitation. Another major element of this advert was representing lesbianism in their advertisement, as in the closing scene we see two women embracing. This further eludes Hennes and Mauritz’s theme of inclusivity, representation and diversity for all.
The campaign is set across such a pace that it has a perfect balance of both personal and public settings performing their everyday task, while the brand can effectively showcase a large clothing variety from its autumn line.
IMPORTANCE OF SETTINGS
The spaces in which the women are featured are critically important in aspect to the message that H&M is trying to showcase.
The opening scene of the campaign is a plus-size model in her bathroom, the model is in her exposed and raw form, fearless and appreciating her body. Another “private” space is the hotel room where a girl is seen unzipping her pants and eating chips on the bed, representing her carefree nature and how women wearing H&M clothing can be free and easy. As there is a mix of public and private space, the advert shows women in a restaurant, office environment, and a bar acting raucous, free-willed and badass. As a result, the advertisement has a rebellious vibe, which is refreshing but necessary to defy stereotypes and let these differences become the norm.
IMPACT ON THE SOCIETY
The advertisement is trying to convey a sense of belongingness, unity and equality among all the characters regardless of all the factors that make them different. H&M is trying to dive deep into the idea of celebrating diversity even if they are distinctive concerning beauty standards. H&M is advocating a powerful message that suggests they adhere to the same important and positive values as their clients relating to individualism and resilience, showcasing the key elements of neoliberalism. An ideology and policy model emphasising the importance of free market competition.
Moving on, the market analysis of H&M they are trying to focus on the target group of females between seventeen to twenty-five years of age.
Over 75% of the fashion apparel market is made up of people in this age range.H&M is focusing on both low and big-league salary clients. To put it another way, customers with low and high incomes are the primary demographic that the company’s products target.
This advert was watched by 57 million people on YouTube.On the video-sharing website, more than 1.8 million people have seen the new H&M advertisement so far.
H&M, the second-largest global retailer, has utilized unconventional advertising imagery before. H&M is focusing on both low and big-league salary clients. To put it another way, customers with low and high incomes are the primary demographic that the company’s products target. So, here the market helped to foster a particular relationship between the consumer and the goods or services they use or consume, which is known as culture consumerism.
Wrapping up, H&M’s autumn 2016 advert, “she’s a lady” aimed to increase diversity and diversity and representation
in mainstream media, challenging culturally prevalent contemporary depictions of female beauty. The campaign’s message and goal were clear, but there was some criticism because some people thought the advertisement was excessive. Big brands like PrettyLittleThings included disabled women and females with acne-prone skin and body disfigurements in their recent campaigns, but H&M failed to include them in their advert.
The whole idea of the campaign suggests that the target market for H&M in this was women who fit in their marketing segment category for “ ladies”, although one ambiguous thing was that this autumn line did not have anything for expecting mothers, there was no maternity segment. H&M chose women who are recognised as the primary consumers of their apparel.
Although as a consumer I feel, that it is not important to include everyone as the advertisement was just a minute long, still it was very potent and impressive in implementing their strategy for diversity and inclusivity!