H&M and Crocs dance into spring with star-studded campaigns

Dive Brief:

For its spring campaign, H&M released a new video short starring actresses Winona Ryder and Elizabeth Olsen, per a company press release.
In the video, set in Buenos Aires, Olsen is shown looking bored dancing with a man in a cafe; she's then tapped on the shoulder by a woman, and the music becomes more upbeat as she dances out into the street and is joined by more women, until she lands back in the cafe, where she meets and passionately locks hands with Ryder.
In separate news, Crocs kicked off the second year of its "Come As You Are" campaign starring actress Drew Barrymore with a musical-inspired video where Barrymore dances and signs, as noted in a press release. The brand is supporting the push with a custom Snapchat Audience Lens that lets users place their face inside a virtual Crocs Classic Clog, where they can choose from three different colorways and groove along with part of the soundtrack.

Dive Insight:

Spring fever clearly means dance fever for retail and apparel brands this year, as evidenced by H&M and Crocs' star-studded new campaigns. Interestingly, Barrymore and Ryder have both had a bit of career resurgence in recent years thanks to Netflix series, the former for "Santa Clara Diet" and the latter for pop culture phenomenon and brand favorite "Stranger Things."

While each effort puts a focus on dancing and music, the tones are quite different. H&M leans into a message of female empowerment and gestures at the idea of leaving men behind — perhaps a not-so-subtle nod to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have shaken up Hollywood and a number of industries.

"I love the way that the campaign really celebrates women in a very authentic way," Ryder said in a statement. "I found that to be really refreshing and much needed right now in this culture."

Crocs, on the other hand, places an emphasis on the bubbly side of things with a tune it likely hopes will worm its way into consumers' heads. The brand supporting the campaign with a custom Snapchat lens playing snippets of the song might help accomplish those goals.

H&M's latest isn't the first time the fast-fashion brand has turned to Hollywood in recent months. For its capsule collection with Erdem last fall, it tapped the director Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge!," 2013's "The Great Gatsby") for a lush four-minute short film called "The Secret Life of Flowers."