Holly Willoughby boosts M&S social engagement

New Marks and Spencer ambassador, TV presenter Holly Willoughby, who has featured within the retailer’s ‘Autumn Must-Haves’ campaign, has boosted the British brand’s social media engagement by 600 percent.

Willoughby, who has hand-picked her ‘Must-Haves’ from the retailer’s autumn collection on the brand’s social media channels and website, is the “greatest opportunity” for the retailer to inspire the next generation of shoppers, according to research from GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

The retailer’s Instagram post announcing ‘Holly’s Must-Haves’ garnered over 34,500 likes, 600 percent increase on regular Marks and Spencer posts, which usually achieve under 5,000 likes.

Kate Ormrod, lead retail analyst at GlobalData, said in a press release: ’‘Holly Willoughby is an apt partner for Marks and Spencer, giving the retailer a sense of relevance it has been missing, while her style is fashionable yet attainable.’’

This isn’t the first time Marks and Spencer have targeted younger shoppers, it did a collaboration in 2016 with Alexa Chung, however, GlobalData states that Willoughby’s 20-piece autumnal fashion edit showcases the retailer’s understanding that it is female shoppers in their thirties and forties that hold the key to its future success.

Marks and Spencer sees uplift in social engagement with Holly Willoughby campaign

In GlobalData’s latest clothing survey it reveals that while 30.4 percent of female non-Marks and Spencer womenswear shoppers agree that celebrities inspire their clothing choices, this rises to 44.2 percent for under 45s, indicating the retailer’s celebrity-fronted campaign will boost its appeal.

Marks and Spencer are set to launch additional ranges edited by This Morning’s Willoughby later this month, which GlobalData states will help the high street retailer “drive full price sales of seasonal lines such as partywear ahead of Christmas and also next year”.

Ormrod added: ’‘While there is potential longevity for the partnership, Marks and Spencer should bring in other faces to support the ‘Must-Haves’ campaign. This is made easier given that Holly Willoughby is merely endorsing a range rather than being involved in the design process.

“The likes of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, the latter of which Marks and Spencer has collaborated with before on a beauty range, are suitable ambassadors and will help Marks and Spencer target a slightly older female demographic than Holly does.”

Images: via Marks and Spencer’s website, and courtesy of GlobalData

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