The document proposes that H&M launch a line of basketball sneakers to reinvigorate the brand and increase sales in the US. It recommends partnering with designer Alexander Wang to create the $50 sneaker line made of organic cotton. The target audience is fashion-savvy 18-24 year olds who look to basketball players as trendsetters. To promote the line, H&M will use a dedicated website, online film with basketball players, pop-up shops, a runway show in stores livestreamed on YouTube, and influencer marketing. The goals are to sell 1 million pairs of sneakers and increase clothing sales by 20% through renewed brand awareness and word-of-mouth promotion.

1. WHAT’S NEXT
FOR H&M?
BY CAROL L. WEINFELD

2. BACKGROUND
12 years is an eternity in fashion.
That’s the age of H&M in the U.S.
When H&M first entered the U.S. market, its newness helped
create its cool.
It owned fast fashion, for its pace of bringing designer copies
to market at an affordable price.
Fashionable shoppers always look to the new.
How could we reintroduce old H&M to consumers so that it is
once again new and cool?

3. CORE OBJECTIVE OF
THE RFP
Reinvigorate H&M through the brand extension of a line of
basketball sneakers
Increase sales for H&M
Specifically sell 1 million basketball sneakers in 2013

4. REASONS
U.S. clothing sales have been flat for years (Source: Google
Trends)
Global footwear market to reach US $195.6 billion by 2015
(Source: GIA) = sales opportunity
Sneakers are popular due to a focus on an active lifestyle.
Fashion designers create comfortable sneakers, e.g. Isabel
Marant’s popular wedge sneakers.
At recent fashion shows and Fashion Weeks, fashionistas
wore cool sneakers to match their outfits. (Source:
dnainfo.com/newyork/20120910)

5. ISABEL MARANT
SNEAKERS
3-snaps.com

6. BASKETBALL?! YES!
Basketball players are now trendsetters and style makers in
the U.S.
They’re looked up to by the public.
They’re cool.
They combine street style and hipness,
H&M’s and our customers’ core values.

7. WHAT DO WE WANT
TO COMMUNICATE?
H&M creates fashion.
In the past, we copied designer looks and remade them at an
affordable price.
Our competitors American Eagle, GAP, Top Shop, Uniqlo and
Zara also do that.
We’re ahead of them in recognizing that our customers wear
fashionable sneakers.
We’re creating our own line of basketball sneakers.
In partnership with hip designer Alexander Wang, 23, we
have a line called H&M Basketball.
The sneakers will cost $50 and be made of organic cotton.

8. WHAT DO WE WANT
TO COMMUNICATE?
We’ll use organic cotton since it is a brand value. Since 2010,
H&M is the No. 1 user of organic cotton worldwide.
The new line reflects one of our values, an entrepreneurial
spirit. (hm.com)
It will initially have a limited supply, since that creates
exclusivity.
We will build on our partnerships with up and coming
designers by working with Alexander Wang.

9. WHO ARE WE
TALKING TO?
Fashion savvy 18-24 year olds M/F
They know all the newest designers.
They know what fashion is hot and what’s not.
They love new art, film and music.
They know trends and start them.
They are aspiring fashion designers.
They wouldn’t be caught dead in last month’s look.
They wear fashionable sneakers.
They wear Adidas Originals, Converse, Lacoste, New
Balance, Nike, Puma (sneakers), TOMS and oxford shoes.

10. WHO ARE WE
TALKING TO?
They know that basketball players like LeBron James and
Dwyane Wade have stylists.
They know that players started N.B.A. trends, like wearing
geek chic glasses (WSJ.com, 6/14/12).
They look to basketball players as tastemakers, and will
follow them.
They know that Christian Louboutin, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton
and Versace make sneakers.
Converse partnered with Missoni for limited edition sneakers.
It’s natural for street style H&M to align with street style
basketball.

11. CONVERSE/MISSONI
SNEAKERS
Nicekicks.com

12. HOW WILL WE
COMMUNICATE?
Let our customers promote our brand.
Interact with it by designing their own sneakers on a
dedicated site, hmbasketball.com.
The best design wins an internship with Alexander Wang.
Inspired by Uniqlo Jump, H&M will present an online film with
pro basketball players dressed fashionably, wearing our
sneakers and shooting hoops.
They will donate their fees to our charity with UNICEF All for
Children.
The film will be distributed to street style fashion bloggers,
like The Sartorialist, StreetPeeper and Hanneli.

13. HOW WILL WE
COMMUNICATE?
A pop-up shop will be created for the sneakers. Clothes will
be displayed with the sneakers, for outfit inspiration, but the
focus will be on the sneakers.
Pop-ups emphasize limited quantity, which is a cachet for
fashion brands. They translate to fashion exclusivity, which
is desired by our target.
Celebrities whose style is similar to H&M’s will make
appearances. They will be from the worlds of art, film and
music. Possible stars are Chor Boogie, Zooey Deschanel,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellie Goulding, Pink and Swedish
House Mafia.
Promote on our Instagram. Visitors will share photos on
Instagram and with their friends.

14. HOW WILL WE
COMMUNICATE?
Our customers follow runways on YouTube, so let’s make our
own.
It includes models and basketball players in the H&M store
and will be shown live on YouTube.
Viewers online could vote on their favorite sneakers, and
share the runway with their social networks.
While watching the runway, viewers could purchase sneakers
online by being directed to the H&M site.

15. WHERE WILL WE
COMMUNICATE?
Budget: $3 million
H&M basketball site
Hoops film
Pop-up shop
Runway in store
Fashion magazine ads
Banner ads
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

16. COMMS STRATEGY
AWARENESS INTERACTION PURCHASE
HMBasketball.com Pop-Up shop Store runway
Blogger outreach Instagram Live online runway
Design your sneaker Twitter Banner ads
Basketball film Facebook Website
Magazine ads Earned media

17. HOW WILL WE
MEASURE SUCCESS?
1 million pair of sneakers sold
Increased clothing sales of 20% online and in store
Increased word of mouth
Increased brand awareness
250,000 YouTube runway views

18. THANK YOU
Carol L. Weinfeld
@clweinfeld