M&S launches ‘radical’ new campaign that aligns food and clothing marketing for the first time

The brand campaign introduces a new brand slogan, ‘Spend It Well’, as it looks to celebrate the lives of its customers in a “new and innovative way”.

Marks & Spencer has launched a marketing campaign featuring the new brand slogan ‘Spend It Well’ in what it claims represents a “radical departure” for its brand.

‘Spend It Well’ is the first major work by freshly appointed agency Grey London and also the first time M&S’s food and clothing businesses have appeared under one campaign slogan. The brand campaign, which launches today (4 May), is the first in a series of ads for the brand, with bespoke TV ad for M&S Food set to go live on 11 May, followed by targeted executions for its Clothing, Home, Bank and the Sparks loyalty divisions later in the year.

In March, M&S spoke about its intention to promote a “shared attitude” that connects with consumers regardless of age or demographic. And stylistically, the main ‘Spend It Well’ TV ad shares similarities with banking brands such as Lloyds by focusing on the emotive experiences – including being at a music festival and waiting tables at a restaurant – of its consumers whether young or old.

READ MORE: M&S targets attitude not age to rebuild fashion business

M&S says the ‘Spend It Well’ positioning is all about the brand being seen as an “enabler of a life well-lived” among consumers, after internal research showed people are increasingly looking to spend more money with brands that enable good life experiences.

“Our ‘Spend It Well’ campaign is a radical departure from where we’ve been previously. It speaks to deep truths about our customers – based on a huge amount of research and listening – and celebrates their lives in a way which is new and innovative for the brand,” says Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, executive director of customer, marketing and M&S.com at the retailer.

“It’s about empowering our customers to say no to the ordinary, so they can say yes to the best. We’re committed to helping our customers embrace this attitude by creating and curating the world’s finest, freshest and most inspiring food, by understanding what clothing fits and flatters today’s modern woman, and by ensuring this philosophy is applied across the entire customer experience.”

The campaign will see activity across all major advertising channels, including TV, social, digital, press, outdoor, in-store and radio, with M&S also set for a ‘Spend It Well’ takeover of the Daily Mail homepage that it claims will deliver 28 million impressions.

Over the Christmas period, M&S stopped the rot by posting a surprising rise in clothing and homeware sales. Like-for-like sales were up 2.3% over the festive period; the first rise in more than two years, while its food department saw a more modest 0.6% rise.

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