Marks & Spencer goes back to school with first Australian campaign
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Marks & Spencer Australia has launched ‘Life Isn’t Uniform’, its first Down Under campaign, in anticipation of Australian kids returning to school next week.
The campaign developed by marketing agency ClubQT and produced in-house by RYOT Studio includes three short-form videos interviewing mothers on their child’s uniform needs – one with Australian Paralympian and body image activist Jessica Smith and another with Mama Stylista fashion blogger Deauvanné Athanasakis.
Accompanying the videos hosted on Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) website are repurposed media formats including native tiles, gifs and shoppable carousels.
“The quality of M&S schoolwear is well known and loved by generations of children across the globe,” says M&S Australia marketing manager Paige Griffith-Carmichael.
“We’re proud to be bringing this campaign to life for the new generation of Australian parents and their children in partnership with our team at ClubQT and RYOT Studio.”
The Australian ‘Life isn’t Uniform’ campaign is an extension of a campaign launched by the company in the UK by the same name in mid-2018. The videos feature mothers sharing personal stories about their children and the various school products that help them in their everyday lives.
The legacy multinational retailer launched its Australian online store in 2016, selling its typical range sans food, drink, beauty and furniture offerings. “While we always look at new opportunities, we have no current plans to open [brick and mortar] stores in Australia,” David Wamsley, director of M&S.com, told Internet Retailing at the time.
Founded in 1884, the company currently has almost 1500 stores worldwide (1035 in the UK) and employs slightly more than 80,000 individuals. Early in May 2018, M&S declared that 14 of its stores were to be closed, with a further 86 under investigation due to underwhelming sales. On 15 January 2019 the company announced that a further 17 stores would be closing, part of the its five-year plan to shut more than 100 stores by 2022.
Commenting on the campaign, ClubQT Australia founder Mandy Sigaloff says, “It’s not every day you get to bring such a renowned brand such as M&S to Australia, and Oath with their RYOT Studio offering seemed like the obvious partner to work with due to their impressive in-house capabilities. We’re thrilled to be working with a local team and notable Aussie talent.”
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