H&M followed words with actions by hiring a size 12 model as the star of this summer’s swimsuit ad campaign. Here at GutCheck, we wanted to dive a level deeper than the current media coverage to understand the brass tacks insights underneath the buzz.

What a positioning contrast we’ve recently witnessed between A&F and H&M. On the one hand, Abercrombie & Fitch CEO essentially reaffirmed that it only “want[s] to market to cool, good-looking people”. On the other hand, Hennes & Maurit CEO Karl-Johan Persson, told Metro World News recently that, “Some of our models have been too skinny. That’s not OK.”

H&M followed words with actions by hiring a 5’10’’ size 12 model as the star of this summer’s swimsuit ad campaign. And anecdotally speaking, the ads featuring plus-size model Jennie Runk have generated some positive buzz according to Time and AdWeek.

Here at GutCheck, we wanted to dive a level deeper than the current media coverage to understand the brass tacks insights underneath the buzz. Specifically, we wanted to answer these questions:

Do women actually prefer the ad with the size 12 model to one with a size 0 model?
And if so, to what degree and why?

So, we fired up an Instant Research Community (IRC) this week to answer these questions. Within an hour of kick-off this past Wed morning, we had our 40 female recruits raring to go. Twenty-four hours later, our ladies completed the guided discussion, collaborated heartily with one another, and gave us some fantastic insights. First and foremost: H&M is hitting it out of the park with this ad campaign. Take a look at the infographic our research team at Gutcheck put together yesterday once the community ended.

The key takeway: 76% preferred the ad with the size 12 model while 14% preferred the size 0 model. The media buzz would lead you to believe that the former would win; the key insight, however, is that it won by over 5x! And the reasons were both emotional (“A beautiful ad that I feel would relate to a lot of women.”) and rational (“It’s hard to picture myself in some of the clothing since I am not as small as the model.”).

I started with a contrast, so I guess it’s only fitting that I end with one:

A&F Q1 sales: -9% worldwide and -17% in the US (source: Abercrombie & Fitch)
H&M Q1 sales: +6% worldwide (source: H&M)

Given H&M’s recent marketing and financial successes, I wonder if A&F is reconsidering its market focus. I sure would be.

This content was provided by GutCheck. Visit their website at gutcheckit.com.

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