RuPaul’s Drag Race outburst presents a huge marketing opportunity for H&M—if the brand is willing to go all in
H&M is having a moment, thanks to an unexpected Drag Race rant. But can the company extend the moment and build a lasting relationship with the rabid Drag Race community?
The latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK featured a very memorable moment—and H&M was inadvertently at the center of it. It happened seemingly out of nowhere when one of the contestants, Joe Black, admitted that her outfit for the week’s main challenge was purchased from the fast fashion brand.
RuPaul was triggered. She was livid. She did not hold back.
“That outfit, off the rack, was a huge disappointment to me,” RuPaul told Joe. “If it is from H&M, you better glitter the fuck out of it and make it something special. We’re looking for Great Britain’s Next Superstar.”
“Don’t waste my time,” she added. “I don’t want to see any fucking H&M.”
Fans were quick to compare RuPaul’s meltdown to Tyra Banks’ “we were rooting for you” moment—which, coincidentally, was just referenced a few weeks ago in the 13th season of Drag Race US.
And of course, the Drag Race fandom went all in on the memes—resulting to many, many mentions of H&M.
Free marketing for H&M?
While RuPaul’s comments were clearly not in favor of H&M, fans seem to be on the fashion brand’s side. In fact, many people on Twitter came to the defence of both Black and H&M.
Important context: in this episode, the contestants were coming back to the competition after 7 months of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that break, the queens did not have steady work since bars and night clubs were closed—and this was an issue that the queens openly discussed in the Werk Room while preparing for the challenge. That context makes RuPaul’s outburst particularly interesting: at best, it makes him look insensitive to the financial challenges facing the queens, and at worst it makes him seem out of touch. (Worth noting as well that Black, who was controversially eliminated the first week of the competition, had less time to prepare for her surprise comeback—she was notified 3 weeks before filming resumed—which makes her outfit choice somewhat more understandable.)
Given a free marketing opportunity like this, you’d think H&M would go all in. But so far, that’s not the case. Perhaps the company has more plans on the way, but so far they’ve done just the bare minimum.
Yes, they’ve interacted with Black on Twitter—but that was after another fashion brand, ASOS, beat them to the punch. They’ve also sent Valentine’s Day gifts to Black, which was sweet—but it’s a move that’s somewhat expected and underwhelming.
As far as I can tell, outside the response to Black, the company hasn’t posted anything on its Twitter about being mentioned on Drag Race. No lil’ shade to RuPaul or a tweet stanning for Black’s outfit.
This is free PR that’s difficult to manufacture or pay for—and H&M should go all in to get the most of it.
H&M’s relatively subdued response surprises me because RuPaul’s Drag Race has some of the most passionate fans today. And this iconic moment is something that the fandom will remember for a long time. Drag Race fans have a very long memory. More memes will be created, and this moment will be frequently referenced by fans on social media and by the queens themselves on the show, their podcasts, YouTube series and their social accounts. If I were in H&M’s shoes, I would do more to milk the situation. This is free PR that’s difficult to manufacture or even pay for—and they should go all in to get the most of it.
I’m not talking about more tweets here. I think there’s an opportunity for H&M to lean in and blow this up by showcasing and showing support for drag.
Some ideas on what they can do:
Organize an online drag show where the queens have to use at least one H&M outfit for their performance. This will let the queens show off their talents and get some coins while exposing H&M’s products to the show’s rabid fans.
Similarly, create a web series where the queens give us a tour of their closets and show us their favorite off-the-rack H&M pieces.
Collaborate on merch with Black and with previous contestants like Cheryl Hole who’ve admitted that they brought H&M products during their time on the show.
Take a page out of Beyonce’s Ivy Park and send exclusive products to current and former Drag Race contestants.
Start a fund to help financially support local drag performers during the pandemic.
Drag Race is bigger and more popular than ever before, and the franchise has no plans of slowing down. This year, despite the pandemic, new seasons of All Stars, Canada’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race Australia are expected to be released. Notably, some mainstream companies like Coach have already taken notice and have partnered with the franchise for marketing opportunities.
Whether it wants to or not, H&M now has an interesting tie to the Drag Race franchise. Frankly, it’s lucky to have a connection to what is arguably television’s hottest show. This is marketing gold. Thinking bigger, partnering with the queens directly and supporting the art of drag will be key for H&M if it wants to seize this moment.
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