The retailer is bringing back its much-loved (and oft mimicked) ad campaign, keeping its trademark “food porn” moments but adding in some personality as it looks to shift perceptions of its food.
M&S is attempting to shake off perceptions as a premium retailer and boost its appeal to families as it looks to transform every area of its business and return to growth.
Marks & Spencer’s motivations for sponsoring ITV’s long-standing talent competition are clear, but driving short-term sales growth could come at the expense of longer-term brand health.
The retailer has set up specialised teams for areas such as merchandising, paid search, CRM and search engine optimisation as it looks to work in a much more agile and collaborative way than it has done in the past.
The transformation of M&S’s loyalty programme, which has been criticised for being too confusing to use, will be spearheaded by the retailer’s first chief data officer who will join the business in the next few weeks.
The new agency is tasked with making M&S’s marketing “more targeted, inspirational and relevant” and restoring the retailer’s style credentials, with the first campaign due in the autumn.
Risk taking is necessary if a brand intends to stand out, according to Marks & Spencer’s marketing boss for food and hospitality, but they mustn’t go so far they lose the brand’s identity.
The struggling retailer is looking to change perceptions around value and target families following a tough Christmas period where sales were down across the business.
The decision to put its clothing & home ad account up for review is the latest sign the retailer is finally addressing the very different problems its two businesses face – which come down to product perceptions rather than brand.
Marks & Spencer is on the hunt for a new agency for its clothing and home division in the latest sign that the retailer is seeking to differentiate its two business units.
From Asos’s wheelchair-friendly jumpsuit to Starbucks opening its first sign language store, brands are making moves to cater for people beyond the mainstream and unlock the potential of the ‘Purple Pound’.
There was a clear divide in the success of retailers this Christmas as those that offer cheap convenience win out over some of the nation’s ‘favourite’ stores.
Many retailers moved away from the big brand campaigns in favour of product-focused ads this Christmas but as retailers reveal their festive performance there are signs this may not always have been the right strategy to take.
Despite a decline in sales across food and clothing & home, M&S’s decision to ditch the blockbuster and take a more commercial approach to Christmas helped achieve record sales in advertised lines.
The annual study from Kantar Millward Brown reveals consumers have responded better to simple Christmas stories than blockbuster ads this year.
The campaign is a deviation from the usual food-centric adverts we are used to seeing from Marks & Spencer, with social media playing an increasingly important role as it looks to attract a younger audience and combat falling sales.
Marks & Spencer says the world has moved on from the classic blockbuster ad as it looks to target busy families on-the-go with an “unashamedly commercial” campaign.