Before
I enter into the discussion and audit-of-sorts on H&M’s media relations
strategies, I want to mention one piece of corporate communication that does
not fit perfectly under a category: the newsletter.
A newsletter is a traditional media source of communication, but with a modern
twist as it is commonly an e-newsletter. H&M has cleverly placed this under
“Follow Us,” with the other social media outlets. Suddenly, a blasé newsletter
becomes a cool way to keep up with the brand. If you click the link, it offers
the consumer 20% off an item for joining. This offers an incentive. Bravo on
spicing up the newsletter, H&M!
Onward!
Media Relations Strategies
Traditional Media Tactics and Strategies
Media Kit
Oddly, I had a difficult time finding a media kit for H&M on their
website. When I Googled “H&M Media Kit,” it brought me to a Word Press site for
H&M Miami with a fairly helpful media kit, but this was obviously
site-specific. Upon further searching, I found that there was no media kit
through this means. When I went back to the newsroom, it almost appeared before
my eyes. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but H&M has gone
against the norm of having a clearly defined media kit and has simply placed a
sidebar next to the news with reports, press contacts, updates, quick facts and
brands-at-a-glance. Now that I see it, I love how clean and organized it is
(remaining with the branding and style of neutrals, photos and clean lines). My
only concern would be that many members of the press might overlook it because
it is hidden in plain sight, so to speak, and not in it’s own “clickable”
section.
PSAs (Public Service Announcements)
According to Wikipedia, PSAs (Public Service Announcements) are
defined as "messages in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge, with the objective of raising awareness, changing public attitudes and behavior towards a social issue." As a
self-proclaimed minor Google sleuth, I can say with certainty that the official
term, “public service announcement” does not yield proper results for H&M;
however, when looking into their campaigns, the organization’s YouTube page
came up. Through their YouTube page (which I will mention again later in this
post), you can view all of H&M’s video campaigns.
Several years ago, H&M did a campaign about Fashion Against AIDS (which I
distinctly remember from when I was in England in the Spring of 2008). It
appears they continued this into 2011 and 2012 with celebrities such as Selma Blair,
Akon and Penn Badgley represented the brand to raise awareness of the disease and raise money to help
find a cure. Each of these 20-second spots is identical, save for the famous face
that is presented. Each celebrity jumps out of a rotating ball of fabrics and
says, “I wear; I care.”
Granted, these could be loosely interpreted as public service announcements as they are closer to awareness campaigns showing H&M’s corporate social responsibility (CSR). Often, CSR is expected from large, financially healthy brands; business as usual is not enough. Companies must show they care about their communities and the world. This goes directly in line with H&M’s brand personality and mission: “Conscious: Our vision is that all business operations shall be run in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.” I can’t help but mention H&M’s “Kiss for a Cause” campaign, which is connected to “Fashion Against AIDS.” This campaign features an edgy 53-second spot depicting various young couples embracing and kissing with subsequent text introducing the campaign. This campaign is also great because at the end of the clip, it calls for fan photos of couples kissing; saying H&M will donate $1 to AIDS prevention with every photo. This idea combines many effective strategies, including user-generated content (helping the consumer to feel like the brand cares about his or her opinion and encouraging a two-way conversation), showing corporate social responsibility and allowing others to join in and feel like they are part of a good cause. Based on Tina Wells’ book, Chasing YouthCulture and Getting it Right, she would say that teenage “alternatives” would love this kind of marketing, since this “tribe” is all about justice and attaching themselves to causes.
VNRs (Video News Releases)
There are no video news releases on H&M’s public sites and
platforms. This is an older and more traditional method and seems almost
obsolete within the media. It is applicable for certain organizations, and live
broadcasts can be helpful at the appropriate time, but in my experience, press
releases with photos and information are the largely acceptable format in
today’s world. I work in public relations at a boarding school, and we always
use press releases and photos, with occasional video footage to supplement.
Events
H&M puts on local “events” in stores when special sales are going
on, which are often advertised through social media (new media tactic). This is
standard for most retail stores. As far as other events go, H&M did not
sponsor, but they traveled to various music festivals last summer looking for
the best fashion and posted to their site http://hmlovesmusic.com.
This site is consistent with the imagery and branding of H&M’s other sites
as well as in their desired demographic (young, fashionable alternatives). This
is a unique idea that interlaces social media, events and branding/public
relations all into one until each no longer seems mutually exclusive.
Connecting with the music and festival culture sets H&M apart from other
brands. The concept of connecting your brand to music is very powerful among many teens as music is hugely important to this group. I base this on my survey and focus group research among approximately 15 teens ages 13-17
in the summer of 2013. These are, of course, not large numbers, but many of the teens included were not connected and lived in different areas--and the results were still consistent.
The brand also put on an online fashion event last April (2013).
Members of the online community could follow the discussion from various expert
panelists and make comments on the page. The slogan for this event was “Look
Great. Feel Good. Be Conscious.” Again, this is a great example of H&M
remaining extremely consistent with their messaging. It is worth mentioning that although the name and logo H&M are the same on the event page, the name Hennes & Mauritz is used in the URL. This may have been to make the brand sound more respectable and high class, but this is only speculation; don't quote me on that.
New Media Tactics and Strategies and Tactics
Website
As mentioned above financial reports and data were actually available
in the media kit on the news/press page. An RSS feed is prominently available
and images are everywhere (in an organized, linear fashion, of course). The one
thing lacking on the news page is any interactivity. Interactivity certainly
took place in the “Kiss for a Cause” campaign and on the organization’s social
media channels.
Blogs/Social Media
Blogs/Social Media
The media strategies
employed by H&M absolutely fit with the overall personality of the organization:
“H&M’s brand personality is modern and fashion-forward; it is socially,
economically and environmentally conscious; it is inexpensive. H&M is
approachable fashion.” Every piece of H&M’s communications includes the
same sleek, modern look. The brand is exemplary in their consistent socially
and environmentally conscious messaging. H&M is open (key word: authentic)
about their financials as well as their commitment to fair partnerships. H&M
connects people through their social media activity and allows the fast fashion
to be within reach for everyone.
Where to go from here?
As far as
improvements to the media relations tactics and strategies, I have some minor
suggestions. I would suggest making a clearer title area over the media kit: I
love how it is organized, but it blends in with the news a little too well and
would benefit from an eye-catching banner. The press page as well as the website could use some more interactivity. Although there is interactivity on the social media channels, H&M could benefit from some cross-platform involvement. It would be simple to add one more element to the contests such as posting something to Instagram, pinning something to Pinterest or going to the company's website.
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