M&S overhauls Sparks loyalty scheme to go digital-first
Matthew ValentineThe retailer hopes the new scheme will offer a more personalised experience and feel “instantly rewarding”.
M&S cuts marketing spend by a third as it accelerates shift to digital
Ellen HammettMarks & Spencer is cutting its marketing spend by £50m this year, with much of that saving coming from TV and press as the retailer turns to social media amid the pandemic.
Conscious consumerism: How brands are rising to the challenge
Matthew ValentineFrom cutting back on red meat to upcycling clothes, conscious consumerism is on the rise and it has very real implications for brands across a variety of sectors.
Marketing Week Explores: B2B marketing and M&S’s ‘This is not just food’
Marketing Week ReportersIn this latest edition of the podcast, Marketing Week lifts the lid on B2B marketing and revisits how Marks & Spencer unwittingly kicked off the trend for ‘food porn’.
‘I want people to lick the telly’: Inside the launch of M&S’s ‘This is not just food’
Matt BarkerIn search of a distinctive idea to reignite its business, Marks & Spencer unwittingly kicked off the trend for ‘food porn’ with the release of its 2006 campaign ‘This is not just food’.
Why Sainsbury’s is betting on convenience with new store format
Matthew ValentineGrocery retailers like Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer are hoping to tap into the growth of convenience culture as they attempt to claim a greater share of spend among urban shoppers.
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M&S launches first TV ad for ‘killer’ denim category
Ellen HammettM&S has doubled its marketing investment in its biggest clothing category, with the ad airing during prime-time shows including Love Island and First Dates.
Reality bites: Retailers count the cost of Christmas past
Matthew ValentineDoes the latest retail carnage on UK high streets mean the sector has hit rock bottom? A hardening of attitudes to discounting may show that reality has started to bite.
M&S takes a swipe at discount culture as sales decline
Charlotte RogersDespite a decline in revenue, M&S credits its decision to “hold its nerve” and resist discounting too soon over the festive period as it returns to like-for-like sales growth for the first time in three years.
Trends 2020: Loyalty means more than a transaction
Sarah VizardBy offering additional benefits and unexpected perks, retailers can improve customers’ experience and get them talking about the brand, taking the relationship from transactions to advocacy.
Econometrics gives marketing commercial currency but is it being overused?
Sarah VizardEconometrics is increasingly being used by major brands to measure the effectiveness of their spend, with supporters claiming it has stopped marketing being seen as a cost. But are marketers taking its use too far without considering its shortcomings?
Is NPS a true measure of customer sentiment?
Charlotte RogersTo some it’s practical and compelling, to others reductive and simplistic, but is NPS a true gauge of customer sentiment or a symptom of marketers’ obsession with numbers?
M&S Food looks to ‘debunk myths’ over its prices in campaign focused on value
Sarah VizardM&S is hoping to communicate its lower prices and points of difference on quality in a new campaign, ‘Re-Marks-able value’.
M&S puts focus on jumping jumpers in ‘very commercial’ Christmas campaign
Ellen HammettM&S puts the product front and centre of its ads for both its food and clothing and home businesses as it looks to drive sales both online and in-store.