New Trends - Digital first marketing

Marks and Spencer is a well-known brand in the UK but it has sometimes been seen as the ‘older generation’s’ store. Indeed M&S has been working to change this perception over the past few years with more modern and chic ranges of clothes and homeware and affordable food like ‘Dine in for £10’. Now they are looking to connect even more with their customers by rolling out advertising campaigns online, before print and television. 

M&S’s executive director of marketing and business development, Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, spoke with Marketing Week about the latest plans. ‘Straight away we know what customers think of our new campaign. Social media means they can feedback directly to us and we can provide a direct link to purchase.’  

They are clearly looking to create a seamless integration across all their marketing channels and feel it starts best online. So what does this mean for other advertisers? It shows that there is a real shift of importance in the customer’s mind when it comes to online advertising. As much as customers still watch the telly and read printed material, they are immersed in the online sphere as well. They seem to prefer being involved and making comments about what they see from advertisers just as they like chatting about them around the watercooler. It will be interesting to watch as other retailers take on this approach moving forward.

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