M&S to pull sustainability pledges into the heart of marketing as it launches a more ‘tangible’ Plan A strategy
Marks & Spencer (M&S) is embarking on the second stage of its Plan A strategy, and this time around, its 100 sustainability pledges will be firmly integrated into the brand’s master brand strategy to actively engage consumers and create tangible participation opportunities.
M&S launches Plan A 2025
The retailer first launched Plan A – a series of ecological and ethical commitments – 10 years ago, in a bid to 'redefine the role of business in society'. The company deems the past decade as a success, publishing impressive stats such as ‘one billion coat hangers saved’, ‘17,000 people helped from disadvantaged parts of the community through M&S employability scheme’ and ‘£750m saved’ from improving efficiencies throughout the business.'
But for all its successes, the scheme was run from the back of the (metaphorical) shop. Certain big partnership schemes such as Shwopping with Oxfam and tie-ups with Breast Cancer Now and Macmillan were publicised, but the connection between these and Plan A was not always made clear to customers. The scheme’s marketing plan was kept firmly away from the big, above the line accounts, and remained in-store and at POS.
For Mike Barry, an M&S veteran and director of Plan A, the decision to whisper rather than shout about the programme was a conscious one.
“It was a big plan, there were lots of commitments in it and we probably questioned a little bit as to how much of that we could get that across to our customers,” he told The Drum.
“Maybe we held it back a little bit. But, no-one wants to be accused on green washing. I think we needed those 10 years of delivering and actioning activity to give us the credibility now to stand up very boldly and say: ‘This is what we stand for and this is what we’re doing’," said Barry.
“We’ve now got the credibility to step out there. There’s clearly something going on in British society now, distrust in big business, globalisation and people want business to stand for something that’s more than just profits and returns for their shareholders.”
Now, it’s new chief executive Steve Rowe that’s pushing Plan A into the heart of the brand. According to Barry, “[Rowe] said: ‘I love what you’re doing with Plan A we need to put it front and centre in customers’ minds … it needs to be clear what we specifically do’.”
The 100 pledges that M&S has made (which include making all M&S packaging widely recyclable and raising £25m for charities tackling cancer, heart disease, mental health problems, loneliness and dementia) have hence been crowd-sourced from interviews with 750,000 customers – naturally with input from stakeholders and NGOs – and the scheme as a whole is set to be integrated into the brand’s wider marketing strategy.
In fact, Barry argues, Plan A’s ethos is already echoed in the latest overarching campaign, Spend It Well.
“The master brand video that we did a couple of weeks ago really talked about the totality of our proposition for our customer,” he said. “We’re putting it right at the mind of our customers that the M&S brand stands for responsibility.
“[The ad] … is a truth on what M&S stands for in a wider sense: spend it well on a personal level – with great products – and on the more altruistic scale – spend it well on products that haven’t harmed the planet, and make a positive difference by shopping in stores that are helping your community.”
Plan A’s new iteration, Plan A 2025, will also put an emphasis on consumer participation and giving its shoppers a chance to make a difference too. “We want to use it much more actively to engage our customers in a much more tangible way,” said Barry.
“If they want, they can get engaged and involved in an easy way to make a difference too. So we’re shifting from a sort of paternalistic trust of the past to this much more engaged participation – on your terms of course but participation nonetheless – in what the M&S brand stands for.”
Plan A will now be stepping into the limelight in consumer campaigns and striking window displays, on individual product labels, on social, through a dedicated Make It Matter digital hub and via an ambassador programme.
“I think any positioning on ethics and responsibility has got to come through as a genuine wrapround,” concluded Barry. “It’s very easy to do this badly if you don’t look totally committed and we stand here today totally committed.
“We’re not standing here to be perfect … but we’re on a journey to become a truly sustainable business.”
Plan A 2025 launches as M&S's pre-tax profits hit a 60% decline earlier this year.