Marks in Time

 1)      There are 5 Marks & Spencer core principals which are:

-          High quality of goods

-          Innovations and creating new products

-          Trust of customers

-          Great service

-          Value of goods

After exploring of the M&S brand history, I would have added some more values, such as environmental responsibility, fair prices, appreciation of own history and taking care of employees.

2)       

Medicine for the Million (1900-20s).

 

 

Simple and clear black and white advertising of all types of pills for a D. per box demonstrates us the social and technological influences of that period of time.

According to the advert, a revolution in pill-making machinery had happened that time. This innovation enabled Marks and Spencer company to supply medicines of the very high quality at the price much cheaper than other suppliers had that time.

In this advertising we can notice two core principles of the Marks and Spencer brand, which are high quality of goods and fair prices.

We should take into account, that a period of time from 1900 to 1920 was a time of the First World War. Financial resources of people were very limited so customers really needed essentials like needles, threads to fix their old clothes and different types of pills to stay well.

Knowing the needs of their customers, Marks and Spencer made cheap and quality medicine a number one product to buy.

In this advert, the M&S brand uses technique of the competitive advantages, pointing out on their innovative production, enormous sales, purest materials, excellent quality and very cheap prices compare to other suppliers.

 

Biscuits are fresh (1950s)

 

 

Another advertising of the Marks and Spencer brand is from 1950s. Three-color drawing image promotes new type of biscuits made by Marks and Spencer. A scientist tries a biscuit and says that fresh biscuits taste better (which makes us believe that some scientific research had been done to prove it).

The usage of a scientific subject in this advertising has a reason. In 1950s, Marks & Spencer company was the first retailer who had a research laboratory to pre-test the quality of brand’s goods. The core idea of M&S, which is the quality of products, can be seen in this advert: quality (fresh) = tasty.

That time innovations became widely available so new goods, produced by M&S, could quickly move from research laboratories to the shelves. Thinking about its target audience, which was housewives from a middle class, the M&S brand invented and promoted new biscuits which were same quality and tasty as home-made sweets, so working women no having time for cooking could regale their guests biscuits bought in M&S stores without shame.

                                                                                                   

3)      125 years of M&S

On the first seconds of the advert, Twiggy is seen in a recreation of a “Penny bazaar” in 1884 where Michael Marks and Tom Spencer set up their first market stall with the slogan: “Don’t ask the price – it’s a penny”. Twiggy describes some main points in the history of the brand and its core ideas. Screen message announces the 125 year celebration of the Marks and Spencer company.

Through copywriting and art direction in this TV advertising we are exploring all main principles of the company, step by step: fair prices, high quality of products, innovations, creating new products, appreciation of brand’s history etc.

During one minute of the advert, Twiggy walks us through the history of the business, from its beginning as a penny bazaar up to the present days, and it ends on the “Quality worth every penny” strapline. All anniversary campaign is based on Marks and Spencer high street heritage.

The script in this advert is understandable to any customer of any age and it tells us the main stages of M&S history. Great art direction helps the audience to learn more about the brand’s heritage.

Let’s analyse some moments from the advert to see how script and picture represent Marks and Spencer core ideas.

Script:

“They brought us the taste of exotic…”

Picture:

Twiggy is holding an avocado (previously called an avocado pear).

Meaning: In the 1968 M&S stores started carrying avocados which were virtually unheard in Britain before. To explain customers how to cook and eat this exotic product, M&S created a special information leaflet.

Script:

“Housewives were liberated”

Picture:

Happy women are taking off their aprons and dropping them on the ground. Next frame shows us a huge poster with prawn curry on it.

Meaning: In 1970s Marks and Spencer introduced first in Britain frozen food. That time lifestyles were changing rapidly. More and more women were going out to work. M&S made their life much easier by introducing good quality, nutritious convenience food like microwave dinners and boil-in-the-bag meals. Innovations included not only food sector but creation of new materials and fabric as well.

In the middle of 1970s M&S also introduced their properly fitted lingerie which became more fashionable. Marks and Spencer designers started creating underwear inspired by catwalks trends.

 

Script:

“They bring food from all over the world for the fairest possible price”

“They’ve changed the way we eat”

“They’ve changed the way we dress”

“They’ve changed the way we treat our planet”.

By reading the script of this advertising and by watching it we can see how simple and clear all core ideas of the Marks and Spencer brand were delivered to customers. From this anniversary celebrating TV advertising, even without knowing the history of M&S brand before, we find out that during 125 years Marks and Spencer company:

-          Produces high quality products and goods,

-          Creates new products and materials never seen before

-          Uses innovations in goods and materials production

-          Is environmental responsible

-          Appreciates its own heritage.

 

4)      The Autumn 2007 TV advert of M&S called “Orient Express”. The idea is very clear and simple: “M&S girls” are traveling around the world. For the autumn campaign a luxury long-distance passenger train from London to Venice has been chosen.

From my point of view, the city Venice and legendary train “Orient Express” have been used in advert to demonstrate luxury, timeless style and chick of new clothes collection. The main settings of this TV advertising are globalisation of brand (not only “M&S girls” travel to Europe, the brand itself is conquering new territory, moreover, international fashion trends are appearing in new collection with usual to customers high quality of materials. Different age and style of models in autumn campaign demonstrate the wide range of designs in collection which will suit perfectly to any woman.  

 

5)      During the last 125 years the target audience of Marks & Spencer has changed a lot. We can notice this big change looking at the brands history. In its beginning as a “penny bazaar”, the target audience of M&S was literally everyone. Their concept was: Cheap, simple and friendly shopping. Stores provided customers with cheap and useful goods for households.

Twenty years later, in a War time, M&S had to reinvent brand policy responding to people’s needs. All stores started to sell more of essentials like underwear etc. The target audience had changed into female one with the age around 20-40 years old.

In 1940-50s, the M&S brand still was working mainly for British housewives selling fresh food and simple but quality clothes. After 1960-70s M&S experienced a new era of optimism and fashion. Young women wished to look fresh and attractive with a minimum of effort. And Marks and Spencer gave them this possibility with creating new materials and using new fashion trends in producing clothes.

Nowadays, the target audience of M&S is very wide. It includes age groups from 20 to 60+. The biggest share of customers is still women. They are ready to spend more money than before, but they know that quality of goods they buy in M&S is worth every penny they spend. The main idea of the brand today is timeless style and chick.