H&M at River Crossing in Macon

https://www.facebook.com/events/1707954879425168/

At the Shoppes at River Crossing in Macon, GA, H&M had their grand opening from 12pm-3pm today, Thursday July 21, 2016. For months, the mall has had a wall put up in front of the store along the outside with H&M ads covering it. Working at the mall, I looked at this almost every single day. Following the Facebook page “H&M Macon Grand Opening” linked above, I saw where a woman had started a discussion by asking why there were no African American models featured in the ads when other races were. After thinking about it, I realized that she was right.

Many people began jumping on the discussion after that, and to my surprise, no one from the company had commented. It was not on H&M’s official Facebook page, but it was a company-made event page for the grand opening. Companies hold social media accounts so that they can communicate directly with customers, and with an issue like this, I think H&M is missing an opportunity to make amends with a customer. Ads are a major source of marketing, and making customers of any race feel as though they aren’t included is a big mistake for H&M or any company. H&M needs to rectify the situation with that customer and those on the grand opening page and make more of an effort to show their support for inclusiveness and unity, making all people feel welcome in their store.

Jordan P.