In the mid 1800s, a group of white people tried to formally classify Black people as just above primates on the evolutionary scale (and this was before the publication of Darwin’s theory of evolution!). Simian-based insults weren’t just used to denigrate Black people, but to justify oppression and slavery. The word ‘monkey’ has been used as a racial slur against Black people for a long time. Side by side, the problem was tough to miss! The problem? Across the green sweatshirt, in capital letters, were the words ‘coolest monkey in the jungle.’ The inappropriateness of the image was amplified by another ad – one that included a white child with ‘Mangrove jungle survival expert’ emblazoned across his sweatshirt. In 2018, H&M faced major backlash when they released an ad showing a Black boy (5-year-old Liam Mango) wearing a green sweatshirt. If that’s their mission, why did their commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment fail to translate into their marketing? The event happened in January 2018, and shortly after H&M’s sales plummeted in the first quarter, leaving them with $4.3 billion of unsold inventory. In it, they express they want to ‘lead the way to a more inclusive world’ and tell us they ‘value diversity in people and ideas, as much as in personal style.’
Perform a quick search and you’ll find H&M’s current inclusion and diversity statement right away. They’re one of the global leaders in delivering fast-fashion clothing. Let’s look at what happens without inclusive marketing…Ĭhances are, you’ve heard of H&M. H&M is a Swedish retailer with 51 online shopping markets and 5,000 stories in 74 markets worldwide.
With H&M claiming to value diversity and inclusion, how did their marketing fail to capture these stated values?
In 2018, H&M were accused of racism and were condemned by thousands of people worldwide, both on and off social media. What can we learn from the ‘coolest’ monkey jumper?
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