Annual report and financial statements 2008

Building our brand

The challenge for M&S marketing is how we stay ahead of the competition, by responding to the things that matter the most to our customers.

Steven Sharp: Executive Director of Marketing

Steven joined M&S in 2004. In addition to his marketing role, he is also responsible for store design and presentation as well as running the relationship with M&S Money.

 

 

One way we’ve responded to this challenge is by evolving our well-loved and successful food and womenswear advertising campaigns.

In food, we’ve retained the same broad approach, but we’ve started to respond to the issues we know our customers care about. Everyone knows that our food tastes good, so our new ‘manifesto’ campaign now goes a step further by introducing powerful messages on provenance and healthy eating. For example, our ‘mellow yellow’ ad showcased our commitment to using only free range eggs in all of our food, and ‘true colours’ told the story of how all our food is now 100% free of artificial colours and flavourings.

Our womenswear ads – which feature the famous faces of Twiggy, Erin O’Connor, Lizzie Jagger, Noémie Lenoir, Laura Bailey and Myleene Klass (and at Christmas, special guest Antonio Banderas) – change with the seasons, featuring new soundtracks and locations. As with the food ads, we survey shoppers each month, and we’re encouraged by the customer feedback we’ve received. Figures from Adwatch (who analyse the impact of company advertising), show more than half of our food ads rated within the top five, and our womenswear ads continue to lead at number one.

Our marketing evolved during the year, with changes made to refresh in-store décor so that it’s consistent with the look and feel of our new and modernised stores. We communicated our Plan A achievements to customers both in-store and through the relaunched Plan A section of our website at marksandspencer.com/planA. In both cases we provided details on how our customers can get involved in specific initiatives such as ‘Wash at 30’, the Oxfam Clothes Exchange and reusing carrier bags.

The effectiveness of our advertising and marketing campaigns is evidenced by our ability to hold brand momentum (our brand impact and performance) despite a slowdown on the high street.

In the year to come, our challenge is to maintain this momentum – with Plan A playing an important role here – and by ensuring we retain brand consistency as we expand internationally.