H&M's Missed Opportunity
After declaring their intentions to stick with Kate Moss despite the recent cocaine furor, someone at H&M (the legal dept.) has had a change of heart. The quote: "...a campaign with Kate Moss is not consistent with H&M's clear disassociation from drugs."
How is that a missed opportunity? Simple: H&M had an opportunity to transcend being "disassociated from drugs" and become "anti-drug". There's nothing distinctive about a company that doesn't promote drug use. But if H&M had supported her through re-hab - that's a message that would have cut through the clutter.
Not even I am cynical enough to suggest Kate Moss Gets Clean: Sponsored by H&M (although it is catchy) - but that's the general idea. It's one thing for H&M to want their models to be "healthy, wholesome and sound.". It's quite another for H&M to step up to the plate and say "Kate Moss is a valued partner. Kate Moss is a fallible human being. H&M is anti-drug. H&M doesn't ignore drug use. H&M helps people fight drug addiction."
Think of the press. This was a gold mine.
If H&M is like any large company - they have internal solutions and processes in place to deal with addiction among their staff. Solutions that go beyond an instant firing. So Kate's just a contractor, so what? Treat her like one of the family. Open your hearts and your arms to the frail, damaged bird. The world will love you. And the world will talk about you. And then the world will go shopping.
Sure it's risky, but most of the risks can be managed. There's only one that can't: Kate herself. If she fails to clean up, or if she backslides (even ten years from now), H&M is stuck with the consequences. H&M would be foster-parent, for better or for worse, to Kate Moss until death do them part. But if you spin that into your message - if you become the amazing, drug-abuse-fighting, retailer of hip clothes - then you have a brand that stands out. You're Benetton for the 21st century.
And what about poor Kate (suppress the eye-rolling for a minute)? Are we going to pretend that we don't remember "Heroin Chic"? That's the term we used, and she was the poster girl. Did we think we were clever? Worldly? Witty? The equation of Drugs = glamour is a tenacious one. Especially with cocaine.
I don't have any answers to that one; I just wanted to make you feel icky.
