Female-focused marketing can't save HLA (海澜之家): 'Her' was both its success and its downfall

Marketing worked — until it didn't

HLA (海澜之家) doubled down on a strikingly female-focused youth push this year: idol endorsements, nationwide fan meet‑and‑greets, branded variety‑show tie‑ins and viral social campaigns aimed squarely at women who make gifting and wardrobe decisions. The result? HLA reported Q1 revenue of RMB 6.66 billion, up 7.66% year‑on‑year, and it has been reported that the company’s Tmall (天猫) flagship saw an 85% surge in sales for certain campaigns. But the same work that generated buzz also ballooned marketing cost and left the core product offering insufficiently renewed for Gen‑Z men.

Big spend, mixed returns

HLA’s push has been expensive. It has been reported that selling and marketing expenses reached RMB 1.403 billion in Q1 — up 11.9% while revenue grew 7.66% — and that selling expenses have climbed dramatically since 2018. Online channels now account for a large share of profit: the firm said online sales contributed about 46.4% of gross margin in Q1, and it has been reported that the company’s online sales totaled roughly RMB 1.19 billion. Yet underneath those numbers are warning signs: gross‑margin pressure, profit rate slipping by 0.44 percentage points in the quarter, inventories cleared largely by discounting, and best‑selling SKUs still clustered around low‑price staples such as RMB 68 cooling T‑shirts.

The strategic dilemma: pleasing her versus winning him

HLA’s strategy rests on a clear premise — it has been reported that chairman Zhou Lichen said women drive roughly 70% of the brand’s purchase decisions — so why not court them hard? But marketing that delights female fans does not automatically rewire a decades‑old brand perception among young men. Social chatter on platforms like Xiaohongshu shows Z‑generation users still tag HLA as “too old” or “for fathers,” and in-store traffic often skews to traditional, middle‑aged customers while rivals such as Uniqlo (优衣库), Bosideng (波司登) and Peacebird (太平鸟) draw younger crowds. Can courting “her” substitute for product design and storytelling that speak to “him”? So far, the answer appears to be no — HLA’s growth is rooted in its legacy user base and short‑term campaign wins, but long‑term relevance will require more than influencer moments: it will demand real product reinvention and a redefinition of the brand for young men.