Yes, there’s an extravagant TVC. But M&S’ campaign is mostly about the twinkling of online chatter about its local events.
M&S has bucked the UK’s Christmas mega-ad trend. yes, it has created a TVC. But unlike last year’s that was decorated with celebrity sparkles – Helen Bonham Carter, David Gandy, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley – this year’s is not the main player in M&C’s pre-Christmas marketing.
“This Christmas will be the biggest online Christmas ever in the UK and the most social Christmas, fuelled by an unprecedented surge in the use of mobile phones and tablet computers,” said Bousquet-Chavanne, Marks & Spencer’s executive director of marketing and international.
Most of Marks & Spencer’s attention (and money) has gone into promotional activity created by Unity PR. Two fairies have been spreading random acts of kindness throughout the UK, and garnering social media support on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.
The fairies and their little local events have been unbranded. In one, the two fairies created real snow outside Landewednack Primary school in Cornwall. In another, they gave gifts to night shift workers. The fairies were seen (made of lights) flying above Newcastle’s Tyne Bridge. They’ve delivered gifts such as cakes, tea and make-up to people across the UK who posted wishes on Twitter. They have been seen in Birmingham, London, Glasgow and Manchester.
These events have been linked to the Twitter hashtag #followthefairies and @thetwofairies rather than M&S itself.
Of course, mystery creates wonder. And wonder creates conversations. On Saturday night on X Factor on ITV, the two fairies, Magic and Sparkle, were unveiled as the Marks & Spencer Christmas fairies, in the TVC set to a version of Fly Me to the Moon by Julie London.
The TVC ends with the strapline “Christmas is better with magic and sparkle” and the hashtag #FollowTheFairies.
The ad was art directed by Chris Hodgkiss and written by Pip Bishop.
It was directed by Philippe Andre through production company, Independent.
