Fashionably Responsible

In past recent years we have seen how companies and celebrities are teaming up to fight for a social cause. H&M stores are no different. This brand, originally from Europe, has made it big in the United States and it’s famous for carrying different styles of fashion under one roof.  So they are using their affordability and power in the fashion industry to support a very controversial cause that affect millions of young people around the world, with their new line: Fashion Against AIDS that will be available on stores and online on April 26^th.

It’s really great that they are using their power to support a worthy cause while delivering a very modern and trendy fashion line, but lets take a look at this campaign from a Public Relations standpoint. What stands out the most on this campaign is the fact that a global fashion company is spending lots of money to put together a global campaign that is going to raise awareness and money towards HIV/AIDS projects. That alone is great for the reputation of the company. But there is another factor involved that makes this campaign stand out from the ones in the last four years and that makes it successful even before the fashion line has been released.

Weeks before the official release, H&M is engaging in the first stage of the campaign called "Make Out For A Cause". In this stage they encourage the young to upload a picture of them making out with someone. For each entry they donate a dollar to an HIV/AIDS project. Already, more than 11,000 photos have been uploaded from all over the world. The campaign has already reached awareness in social media sites and has become a trending topic in Twitter. Basically, they’ve already started collecting money for the cause while reaching the desired awareness in a fun and non-traditional way.

We’re only two days away from the release date and really hoping that the success of the first stage of the PR campaign permeates to the campaign as a whole, as it has been for the past four years. Nevertheless, it’s good to see how a global company like H&M has not only committed to helping this important cause every year but to see how they’ve evolved in their public relations tactics by integrating new media. It’s very refreshing to see how a well-thought PR campaign can also be a fashionable one.  With high fashion pieces that feature bold colors, ethnic prints and artistic designs for an affordable price and a high social reward, who doesn’t want to be fashionably responsible? 

Some of the pieces from the Fashion Against AIDS 2012 women's collection
Available April 26th on H&M stores and hm.com