M&S has gone for ‘more box-set than blockbuster epic’ in vital Christmas push
M&S has moved away from the John Lewis-style Christmas ad epic it has favoured in the past and has instead opted for a campaign based on a series of seven shorter ads that synchronise with the different milestones on the festive calendar.
It builds on ‘The Art of…’ campaign launched earlier this year to better align clothing with its successful food marketing strategy in a bid to revive struggling sales, which have caused the retailer to report worse than expected results over the past year. With its half year financial results – posted this week – showing yet another declined of 1.2 per cent the Christmas period will prove vital for the retailer.
Breaking with tradition, the campaign will be shown first to its Sparks members in a bid to engage with the some two million to have already signed since its launch last month. Each member will receive an email with The Art of Christmas compilation film this before it goes live on M&S.com and social channels this evening (6 November).
The products take centre stage in six 20-second TV ads to show how the retailer has each festive moment covered.
Seen from the perspective of a little girl, the series begins with ‘The Art of Making an Entrance’ concept and shows models posing in an array of partywear. The scene then switches to ‘The Art of the Night Before’, as parents put the finishing touches in place, then ‘The Art of Noise’ as children wake on Christmas. In ‘The Art of Surprise’ three wrapped giant presents spill open to reveal the recipients inside while ‘The Art of The Feast’ focuses on the all-important Christmas dinner. Finally, the family settle into their sofa for ‘The Art of 40 Winks’.
A similar campaign will run for food under the tagline ‘Adventures In Christmas’.
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, executive director of marketing and international explained: “Customers tell us they experience Christmas as a series of mini-moments and emotions, and each moment matters in building that bigger sense of occasion.
“As a result, our approach is more box-set than blockbuster epic; as we wanted to capture that feeling of anticipation and create an upbeat campaign that moves with the pace of the season and shows how M&S can help make each moment special.”
The first ad will air on Sunday 8 November during the series finale of Downton Abbey on ITV1.