H&M Uses Hip Fashion Mag to Advertise

Swedish fashion/retail giant H&M is using the power of custom publishing to promote their clothing and lifestyle to a broader audience.

Custom publishing combines editorial content with advertising so companies can reach more consumers. Unlike a catalog, which typically lists products and prices, the custom publication offers the reader a more interactive and entertaining experience with a particular brand. Examples of custom publishing include WEBMD The Magazine, Food Network Magazine, and Real Estate Portfolio.

The company recently started publishing a magazine that showcases the latest trends in popular fashion. The magazine is published two to four times a year and can be found in H&M stores and on the company’s website.

According to H&M’s website, “The magazine is aimed equally at our customers and staff. The magazine can be seen as an invitation to the store and is important for building our brand in the long-term.”

The “mag” has a look and feel that is typical of popular fashion photographs. Glamorous models and celebrities sport the latest “looks,” while bright coverlines tempt readers with beauty and fashion articles.

Each issue revolves around a desirable fashion destination. The Summer ’07 issue featured Australian-born singer Kylie Minogue, and boasted “80 Pages of Australia.” Readers could get an exclusive guide to Australia through “We Heart Australia,” a glossy handbook to the hotspots in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. Other feature stories included “What’s Up Down Under?” a pop culture primer that featured the bands, models, actors and fashion labels of Australia. The article also included a section on how to get the “Aussie Look.”

The main story was an interview with cover-girl Kylie Minogue. She also doubled as a model for one of the fashion sections, posing playfully in a retro style poolside photo shoot. All the clothes were H&M brand, with prices and style information listed on the side of the page.

The Australian theme seemed quite appropriate for a summer issue. Australia is often associated with beaches and warm weather, so the season’s clothing worked with the location. An article about Australian beaches could easily fit in with a fashion shoot featuring H&M bikini tops, sunglasses, and beach accessories.

The summer issue also included two beauty features, an article on socially conscious shopping, and several advertisements for Aquador Water, Max Factor, Axent of Scandinavia, and WaterAid, a UK-based charity.

The fall issue took a slightly different approach in promoting the latest trends. The magazine still featured a fashion hotspot, but the emphasis was less on the destination and more on popular “looks.” This issue’s destination was Rome, but there were only two stories that focused on the location. The first was a seven-page guide to the Eternal City, complete with shopping, food, and entertainment listings. A fashion shoot that presented H&M’s latest looks set against the backdrop of Rome followed the article.

The rest of the issue focused on Fall’s trends, which include a mix of classic fashion and neo-grunge. The definitions of “trends” are defined in an article titled, “What Is a Trend?” which explained how particular fashions are pioneered by both popular and underground culture. “Beauty: Snob & Neo-Grunge” explained how to do popular fall hairstyles, and “Furniture Fashion” displayed the latest in interior decorating. This issue included more fashion shoots, including a menswear shoot. Most of the advertising was the same, with a few new ads for Stockholm Design House and Vagabond, a Swedish shoe company.

Both issues demonstrate how the publication will continue to evolve as an advertising outlet for H&M. Instead of offering consumers a catalog with pictures of clothing, the magazine strives to create a sort of lifestyle brand. As the company continues to grow and gain more loyal shoppers, the magazine will also change as an attempt to separate itself from its other competitors.

www.hm.com/ca/abouthm__abouthm.nhtml

http://www.custompublishingcouncil.com/news.asp

http://www.themagazinegroup.com/