M&S: advert-body-2 by Grey London

Marks and Spencer’s has moved on from just targeting ‘Mrs M&S’ and will instead look to engage the entire family during Christmas with a campaign starring Paddington bear.

‘Paddington and the Christmas Visitor’ is the first Christmas campaign to come from Grey London since it picked up the creative account from RKCR/Y&R last year. At the heart of it is an advert that sees the iconic bear inadvertently stop a burglar from robbing his neighbours.

Though a departure from the mum-focused ‘Mrs Claus’ spot that proved a hit with the core M&S shopper (female, and over-55 years old) last year, M&S is hoping this family focused campaign will appeal to kids and parents alike while retaining the “emotional connection” that it admits had been lost in previous Christmas marketing efforts.

In partnership with Digital Cinema Media, the 90-second advert is will be shown before the start of every screening of the new Paddington 2 film while M&S will also run screenings of the film for its Sparks loyalty members and their children.