M&S Marks In Time

On 29/09/2010, as part of Contextual Studies in my university course we were shown around the Marks and Spencers 'Marks in Time' exhibition. The Marks and Spencer brand was born in Leeds in 1884, and the brand principles have remained the same; quality, service, value, trust and innovation.
The advertising for the brand in the 60s took influence from cinema at the time, making their ads into musical numbers, with dancing to promote the clothing, and used celebrity endorsement and glamour to promote the brand. The 'Young StMichael for Men' line used the fast paced life of a 'modern man' to create an image for the line, with the adverts showing men in co-ordinated wardrobe hanging about at a race course, with racing cars as props in the editorial shots, allowing the men to exude a feeling of power and success. The use of cars in the adverts also backed up the brand principles, as quality, value, trust, innovation and service are all things you would also expect from a car.
The adverts from 2004 also employ celebrity endorsement, using celebrities such as Rupert Everet, Rachel Stevens and Gordon Ramsey amongst others who are all British celebrities.
The use of glamour also pops up in the 2007 ad which was filmed on the Oriental Express, exuding class, romance and mystery.
Of course one of the more famous M&S adverting campaigns is the 'Your M&S' food adverts featuring the melting chocolate cake, which were filmed simply and allowed the food to really speak for itself.

The advert for the 125 year birthday of Marks and Spencer tells the brands story, from the start at Leeds Kirkgate market right through to modern day. The endline 'Worth Every Penny' is a call to the brands principles and also a hint to the history as Marks and Spencer started as a Penny Stall, showing that the brand has stayed true to itself through out the 125 years of its business.