M&S makes TV sponsorship debut

After a tough Christmas period, the retailer looks to change perceptions and target families with a sponsorship of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.

In a move designed to target families and change perceptions around value, idents at the beginning and end of the show and around the ad breaks will highlight a range of family-friendly M&S Food favourites. That includes pizzas, stir fries, and dishes from its new vegan range Plant Kitchen.

“What better way to get into the hearts and minds of Britain’s families than to team up with the biggest family show on TV,” says Sharry Crammond, M&S Food marketing director.

“Through this partnership we’ll be bringing M&S Food into millions of home each week, telling more families about our great value, great quality food and encouraging them to choose M&S for their Saturday night family dinner.”

An odd move?

On the face of it, Britain’s Got Talent feels like an odd move for the premium retailer. But given its wider market challenges and ambitions to position its food as good value and not just expensive, targeting this audience could help to shift those stubborn perceptions.

According to YouGov BrandIndex, M&S Food’s value score is -3.9, putting it 24th out of 27 UK supermarkets. By comparison, for metrics such as quality, reputation, satisfaction and buzz it sits in the top three.

That value perception is now hitting its sales. For its most recent results, the 13 weeks to 29 December, like-for-like sales in its food business were down 2.1%. CEO Steve Rowe has said changing those perceptions is a key strand of its strategy to turn around performance.

The campaign, developed with media agency Mindshare, will also run on ITV 2, and social and digital platforms including the ITV Hub.

M&S’s social channels will include bespoke Britain’s Got Talent content, including an audition that will go live across Facebook and Twitter to kick off the campaign. The retailer’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds will also feature an M&S Food offer each week.

Meanwhile, the Britain’s Got Talent app will provide more information on offers and feature a game created by M&S that challenges players to prepare a dinner and complete culinary tasks such as slicing a cherry pie and creating a duck pancake.

Britain’s Got Talent, which is in its 12th year, is the UK’s largest talent competition. The 2018 series reached a peak audience of 11.2 million viewers, with the show contacted to run until 2022.

Interested in how TV advertising could work for your business? Get in touch today, 02921 320 200 or [email protected]

Source: https://www.marketingweek.com/2019/03/08/marks-and-spencer-britains-got-talent-sponsorship/

Love Island tie-up helps boost profits at Superdrug

Superdrug’s tie-up with Love Island has helped drive a 16% profits leap as fans of the hit TV show snapped up bronzer, make-up and hair products.

 

The high street chain posted pre-tax profits of £92.9 million for 2017. Up from £80.4 million the previous year, with like-for-like sales 2.5% higher.

Superdrug, which has continued its sponsorship of Love Island this summer, also said the trend for social media facemask selfies helped skincare sales rise 10%, with sheet-masks and bubble-masks popular products.

The group said overall revenues rose 2.3% to £1.2 billion as it bucked wider woes on the high street to open 22 more stores. Taking its total at year-end to 804 across the UK and Ireland.

It invested £31 million last year, mainly on the new stores and refurbishments as well as its digital IT capability.

Peter Macnab, chief executive of AS Watson health and beauty division in the UK, said: “We are pleased with the company’s performance, and the continued recognition of our colleague’s customer service efforts.

Its annual results showed Superdrug’s share of cosmetic sales lifted to 32%. While sales of healthcare and wellbeing products rose 8%.

Website sales rose by more than 30% over the year, helped by a new mobile app and better delivery options.

Source: https://www.insider.co.uk/company-results-forecasts/love-island-superdrug-profits-soar-12844900

 

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Front row seats at the CIM Canmol Marketing Awards 2014

The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s ‘Canmol’ awards took place last Friday at Cardiff Bay’s St David’s Hotel; announcing 8 companies’ marketing campaigns as well deserved winners of the prestigious awards. The Media Angel attended and presented our full support for the event finalists and winners through sponsorship of the reception welcome.

The successful marketing teams of this year’s ceremony were chosen from an array of Welsh organisations across all sectors; from big renowned Welsh brands to those smaller SME’s and local businesses. Each category winner thoroughly deserved this recognition and celebration of their hard work, creativity and innovative marketing strategies which produced fantastic business results!

Some of this year’s fabulous category winners included Cardiff’s leading provider of commercial legal services Capital Law, Welsh pastry manufacturers Peter’s Food, Swansea Council’s Visit Swansea Bay, Llantrisant based manufacturer of thermal desorption products Markes International, and S4C! The inspirational new marketer award was presented to Irene Hammond, designer of the ‘Show me Where’ communication application; an exciting new pain communication tool for children with autism and speech disabilities.

Once again, the benchmark for Welsh marketing excellence has been set by CIM’s choice of winners. The standards remain extremely high for Welsh marketing, and it is clear that Welsh businesses should be immensely proud of their achievements in such a quality, competitive industry.

 

The Media Angel had a fantastic night at the awards and would like to congratulate each and every one of the finalists for their outstanding achievements in marketing. We are already excited for what next year’s events have to bring!