M&S has today launched a Christmas ad focusing on the character of ‘Mrs Claus’ in a bid to deepen its emotional connection with customers.
A three-minute version of the retailer’s ad first aired at 9pm on Channel 4 during Gogglebox and will be followed by a slot on ITV’s The X Factor tomorrow night. M&S hopes to reach 7.5 million consumers with these two slots alone, which will be accompanied by extensive social media activity.
The aim is to reach 99% of the population throughout the length of the campaign, which will run until Christmas Eve, before being back on again from 28-31 December to promote its new year’s range.
The ad shows a sharply-dressed ‘Mrs Claus’ receiving a letter from a six-year-old boy, who asks her to find a gift for his long-suffering older sister.
The ‘Mrs Claus’ character, whose job is to fulfil selfless present requests, will be at the heart of a multimedia campaign that will include M&S’s strongest focus ever on mobile, as well as other digital, social media, outdoor and in-store activity. About 15,000 customers who visit stores, for example, will receive random acts of kindness from staff such as free coffee and £5 charity donations to “bring the Mrs Claus character to life”, said Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, executive director of customer marketing & M&S.com.
Sparks customers will receive extra rewards that are linked to the campaign - thousands will receive the offer of a personalised store visit with help choosing gifts, while the 25,000 top customers will receive a free festive food box.
The food and clothing ads will also link back to the Mrs Claus theme. Although the food execution will remain true to the style of the ‘Adventures in Food’ campaign that has run throughout the year, customers will be encouraged to tweet about the ad using the hashtag #lovemrsclaus.
The food offering will receive roughly the same amount of airtime as last year, despite M&S signalling a stronger focus on food in its results earlier this week.
Bousquet-Chavanne said the campaign was based on feedback from customers, who wanted an ad that was more emotional and reflected their own Christmas experiences. “Emotional ads inspire customer loyalty and a connection. This is the season to connect and we can trade off the back of that.”
“It’s not just an ad campaign, it’s an immersive experience,” he added.
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