In the absence of Christmas parties, and with limited gatherings looking likely on Christmas Day itself, Marks & Spencer has gone for the “eat, drink and be merry” message this year, with some charity and celebs thrown in for good measure.
Grey London has taken the retailer safely back to its old “food porn” days, complete with the familiar “Albatross” by Fleetwood Mac soundtrack.
One ad is scheduled to break each week until the big day. The first is voiced by Olivia Colman, who declares “Cor what a year” and lovingly describes the “fancy pants” beef and porcini Yorkshires, the gin liqueur with edible gold leaf, and the “big finale,” triple chocolate panettone.
Each of the celebs gets to nominate charities to benefit from the donations of M&S and its customers. Colman’s turn is followed by spots voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Eddie Redmayne, Gillian Anderson, Dame Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Dame Julie Walters, Naomie Harris, and Tom Hardy.
M&S ditched the idea of a clothing ad entirely for Christmas 2020, although Holly Willoughby is still on board for a social push. Last year’s was created by fashion agency Odd and urged us all to perform a Beyoncé-style dance routine.
This week the retailer reported its first loss in 94 years as a publicly-listed company, with clothing sales – as well as jobs and store closures – affected by Covid-19. In some better news, though, the start of its tie-up with Ocado in September has seen a 47.9% jump in food sales.
MAA creative scale: 5.5
