H&M: A Magical Holiday

H&M dazzle us with an epic high production value commercial this year. Does a huge project budget and an all star cast get you views and increased sales? Time will tell. In this article we want to give this ad a thorough review, with scores out of 10 for a collection of essential marketing criteria. Check out our scores and see if you agree!

Memorability – 8 / 10
This ad certainly targets young adults as much as it does children. The concept is very vibrant and attractive for young children and the stellar cast will impress pop obsessed teens as well as millennials. The cast alone is enough to almost guarantee the ad grabs the attention of those who recognize the faces of the lead characters. The concept on the other hand, is not so catchy. We feel the writing could feature far more humour, and more could have been done in terms of the choreography to ensure the clip has enough entertaining elements to make it as entertaining as possible for repeat views.

Effectiveness – 6 / 10
Ads like this are not designed to sell any particular product, they are designed to remind shoppers that H&M is a key option that can’t be forgotten as families head into the biggest shopping spree of the year. Commercials with this scale of budget are bound to be beautiful, filled with familiar faces and lengthy in their delivery. The size of the project however does not guarantee the quality of the content and allure of the message. We feel the allure and charisma of this ad on the whole are far too weak and most would expect more substanance from such a brand.

Style – 7 / 10
As we would all expect, the visuals are crisp, complex and possess excessively high production value. Style alone doesn’t build you an ad worth remembering. The script and punchlines lack fire power, and the the same can be said about the final scenes. We are not left in awe like most would expect from such a project. Instead we are left wanting more and wishing our imaginations were ignited by a brighter flame.

Heart or Humor – 6 / 10
There is a little humor put in place to keep the vibe nice and light instead of too dramatic. The ad is going for more heart in the final scenes. We follow a child as she battles evil and prevails as the saviour of christmas. There is no purer way to encapsulate the essence of the holiday season. Our key fear is that many will struggle to pick out core highlights from this ad 5 minutes after viewing it.

Execution – 7 / 10
Compared to a standard project this production fairs well. However, It would of course be unfair to judge such a mammoth commercial against the produce of normal campaigns. This is a blockbuster and so should be compared to epic blockbusters of the past and present. Unfortunately H&Ms attempt to dazzle us falls short in the most crucial ways. It fails to leave us inspired, which for this time of year is certainly a fatal flaw.