The author suggests two better options for H&M - expanding popular designer collaborations regularly or making sustainability initiatives like conscious collections their main focus, playing to their strengths over sports brands. [

1. H&M APSOTW
Duncan Richards
profrduncan@yahoo.com

2. The Goal.
To sell 1 million pairs of a new range of $50 basketball shoes in 2013 and
increase the coolness of H&M in the eyes of the fast fashion crowd.

3. Problem No. 1
The global basketball shoe market has been static for three
years and is dominated by huge and authentic sporting brands.
Why do you think it’s realistic for a company with no sporting
heritage to achieve first year sales of $50 million and how does
a $50 shoe fit with your CSR stance?

4. Problem No. 2
Genuine coolness stems from passion not product, and is
bestowed as a result of behaviours and beliefs rather than
something you tack on to your offer.
What makes you think you’re not already cool and, if you’re not,
can you really remedy that by selling cheap basketball shoes (a
product that that hasn’t been cool since the 90s) especially
when you’ll be trying to out-cool purpose-led initiatives like
Nike+ and Clothes for Smiles?

5. Problem No. 3
You believe that this can be achieved by targeting “influencers”
at the centre of social networks but social networks are fluid
rather than centred and in mass markets with many customer
choices, that network theory shows local copying rather than
macro influence to be the true engine of spreadability in mass
markets.
What is the point of identifying so-called social lubricants when
their “influence” is noisily superficial but ultimately ineffective
and what impact will this new thrust have on existing customer
attitudes?

6. Standard Solution
The standard solution would be to allocate $3 million to tactics
that correspond to H&M core attributes of streetwalkcool
Tactics like street basketball sponsorship, private social
networks featuring customisation competitions, and tie-ins with
gaming sites and self-quantification. This might even be seeded
by engaging in some publicised shoefiti (hanging of shoes from
from overhead wires).
Given that they are based on false assumptions and could be
easily imitated by competitors with deep pockets, is this truly
different and likely to achieve coolness or sales? And $50
million isn’t much of an increase in H&M turnover

7. Forget cool, be Interesting

8. Two Options
I) Create new interest or
2) Identify and amplify something that
already makes you interesting.

9. Given the failure rate of new ideas, the
latter route is preferable and H&M has
two such areas that can be explored.

10. Designer Diffusion Destination
Distinguish H&M from other fast fashion outlets by
expanding your very popular and distinctive tie-ins
with designers.
Make it regular not a special event - perhaps utilising
up and coming designers as well as celebrity names.
Meet people’s desire for high fashion style at fast
fashion prices and offer designers new younger fans.

11. Become the Body Shop of fast fashion.
Initiatives like H&M Conscious are popular
and gel with an increasing unease at the
ecological and ethical impact of fast fashion.
Make this your ultimate point of difference and
the heart of your social, economic, and
product missions. Fast fashion with feeling.

12. Two ideas that offer a deeper emotional engagement than
that offered by a bewildering brand extension that’s really
just a new product line.
Two ideas that play to your strengths rather than those of
sports industry competitors.
Two ideas that are way cooler than cheap high-tops.