Marks and Spencer launches musical Christmas ad

Department store Marks and Spencer has released its heart-warming advertising campaigns for the festive season, including a clothing ad in line with its ‘Anything but Ordinary’ tagline.

Starring actor Madisyn Ritland, the retailer brought to life a musical Christmas world, with Ritland dancing through well-known holiday moments, including shopping sprees and opening gifts with the family. In continuation of Marks and Spencer’s ‘Anything but Ordinary’ platform, launched for autumn/winter, the ad looks to highlight how the store can make a magical season for everyone.

“Our campaign, which we’ll be sharing across all customer channels, celebrates the joy of the season and showcases the one-stop-shop Marks and Spencer is for everything you need to make it special,” said Anna Braithwaite, Marks and Spencer’s clothing and home director, in a statement.

Alongside the launch of its clothing advert, Marks and Spencer has also released a festive food-centred ad. The campaign features its iconic Percy Pig, a staple to the store, ahead of the snack’s 30th birthday next year. Voiced by spiderman actor, Tom Holland, Percy explores a Marks and Spencer’s Food Hall with a Christmas fairy, played by Dawn French.

The brand opted to share both campaigns simultaneously for maximum impact, with both to be shared through multiple channels, from large scale, hand-painted murals to activations at London tube stations.

This year will also see the retailer optimise the social media platform TikTok for the first time, to further expand on its marketing channels.

Both campaigns come as part of Marks and Spencer’s larger effort to change perceptions of its stores, with progress seen throughout the year in the form of family-friendly marketing campaigns, social media-based strategies and the addition of celebrity ambassadors to its group.

As an extension to the campaigns, Marks and Spencer will also be launching full Christmas-themed gift shops, in-store and online across multiple product categories. Included in the shop-in-shops will be a ‘Percy World’ activation in celebration of the festive food advert.