M&S's lineup of celebrities and inspirational figures photographed
by Annie Leibowitz suggests that the store wants to appeal to cultured,
cool and creative women. Will it work?
As fantasy dinner party guestlists go, Tracey Emin, Helen Mirren,
Katie Piper, Nicola Adams and Monica Ali wouldn't be half bad. But these
women aren't lining up to tuck into the hors d'oeuvres, they're all
part of Marks & Spencer's new autumn womenswear campaign. Unveiled this week, Emin and friends are sharing the stage with both fashion
insiders – American Vogue creative director Grace Coddington and model
Karen Elson – and "real women" – see Helen Allen, the 2011 Nurse of the
Year, and Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of Save the Children. Stills released
show the women on a boat on the Thames, in a field in the countryside,
and in an art studio, complete with easels. The host? Superstar
photographer Annie Leibovitz, who shot the campaign.
In a sense, then, the dinner party analogy holds. The high-street store has clearly put an event planner's eye for detail into this latest attempt to reinstate itself into the hearts – and wardrobes – of the nation's women. Subtitled "Britain's leading ladies", the delicate balance of fashion heavyweights, national treasures, wholesome pop stars, real-life heroes, and the slight edge provided by Emin, tells you everything about where M&S wants to position itself now: as a serious fashion contender, one that appeals to cultured, cool and creative women.
The comparison with 2010's ad featuring Twiggy, Dannii Minogue and Myleene Klass disco dancing while Jamie Redknapp DJed is striking. Gone is the mass-market ITV primetime approach – the high-end glossy magazine is in its place.
Will it work? M&S desperately need it to. Falls in clothing sales have dominated headlines about the store this year – and they went down (1.6% this time) for their eighth consecutive quarter last month. The very existence of this campaign shows it is serious. Add up the fees for the bucketload of talent, the logistics of getting them all in one place, and a superstar photographer such as Leibovitz, and there's no doubt it cost a bomb.
There have been further changes behind the scenes as the chain attempts to buck the trend of drooping sales. Belinda Earl, formerly at Jaeger, has been hired as the new style director and showed her first collection for Autograph in May. On-trend without being flash-in-the-pan, it featured more premium fabrics (better cashmere included) and other innovations such as tights for heels with a gel pad built in. The clothes from that collection are now hitting stores and the £85 Céline-esque pink coat – which Elson sports in the new campaign shots – is already a buzz item, with windowpane check sweaters another autumn highlight. It's bold new territory for a store whose clothing is currently just a department to walk through on the way to the three-for-two salads.
So that is what this ad is trying to achieve. Next we get to see if it pays off.
 |
| Marks & Spencer's Britain's Leading Ladies campaign (left to right): Katie Piper, Nicola Adams, Tracey Emin, Ellie Goulding, Helen Allen, Monica Ali, Grace Coddington, Helen Mirren, Laura Mvula and Karen Elson. Photographed by SkyFashion5 |
In a sense, then, the dinner party analogy holds. The high-street store has clearly put an event planner's eye for detail into this latest attempt to reinstate itself into the hearts – and wardrobes – of the nation's women. Subtitled "Britain's leading ladies", the delicate balance of fashion heavyweights, national treasures, wholesome pop stars, real-life heroes, and the slight edge provided by Emin, tells you everything about where M&S wants to position itself now: as a serious fashion contender, one that appeals to cultured, cool and creative women.
The comparison with 2010's ad featuring Twiggy, Dannii Minogue and Myleene Klass disco dancing while Jamie Redknapp DJed is striking. Gone is the mass-market ITV primetime approach – the high-end glossy magazine is in its place.
Will it work? M&S desperately need it to. Falls in clothing sales have dominated headlines about the store this year – and they went down (1.6% this time) for their eighth consecutive quarter last month. The very existence of this campaign shows it is serious. Add up the fees for the bucketload of talent, the logistics of getting them all in one place, and a superstar photographer such as Leibovitz, and there's no doubt it cost a bomb.
 |
| Marks & Spencer's Britain's Leading Ladies campaign (left to right): Jasmine Whitbread, Helen Mirren, Helen Allen, Darcey Bussell, Karen Elson, Tracey Emin, Monica Ali and Katie Piper. Photograph: SkyFashion5 |
There have been further changes behind the scenes as the chain attempts to buck the trend of drooping sales. Belinda Earl, formerly at Jaeger, has been hired as the new style director and showed her first collection for Autograph in May. On-trend without being flash-in-the-pan, it featured more premium fabrics (better cashmere included) and other innovations such as tights for heels with a gel pad built in. The clothes from that collection are now hitting stores and the £85 Céline-esque pink coat – which Elson sports in the new campaign shots – is already a buzz item, with windowpane check sweaters another autumn highlight. It's bold new territory for a store whose clothing is currently just a department to walk through on the way to the three-for-two salads.
So that is what this ad is trying to achieve. Next we get to see if it pays off.
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