Madonna calling for H&M?

H&M stores may have broken local laws when they telephoned customers using the computerised voice of Madonna, the designer of its new M by Madonna range. Hundreds of H&M customers have answered their telephones to the greeting of 'Hi, it's Madonna', only to find that it wasn't Madonna calling but a computer simulation of the pop star's voice touting her new clothing line for the chain. Many shoppers were unhappy to receive calls to their personal telephones featuring a computerised voice advertisement from the store. Maybe H&M was desperately trying to sell Madonna's collection, as it only received a lukewarm reception when it kicked off. Perhaps H&M consumers feel they've ‘seen it all before', to quote a recent Madonna lyric, or perhaps its due to the never-ending celebrity collaborations with high street conglomerates that one would need to invest in a plethora of wardrobes to keep up with the celebrity craze.
So despite a high-profile television and newspaper advertising campaign featuring the singer modelling items from her M by Madonna range, and celebrity admirers such as Jean Paul Gaultier saying they were keen to get hold of her designs, just 50 or so fans were waiting outside H&M flagship stores as they opened for the official launch of the collection. This unlike the queues and demand shoppers had for Stella McCartney or Karl Lagerfeld, where the collections sold out within minutes.