The ad, which breaks tomorrow during X Factor and was created by RKCR/Y&R, does not feature any celebrities - unlike
Instead it features two models acting as "fairies" flying across a night sky spreading magic to brighten up Christmas for unsuspecting families, to the song 'Fly me to the moon'.
Once again, the campaign uses the strapline, 'Magic & sparkle', which was revived last year. The campaign will also feature several M&S food spots, set to air tomorrow.
Speaking at the launch event today, director of marketing and international Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne revealed that M&S is the company behind #followthefairies, a previously anonymous social media handle linked to @TheTwoFairies with more than 13,000 followers.
The fairies have been "delivering random acts of kindness" to members of the public when prompted to do so on Twitter. For example, covering a Cornwall school in fresh snow for the children to play in and treating workers on night shifts.
It will continue "surprising and delighting" people over the festive period, said Bousquet-Chavanne, supported by in store activity to promote the campaign.
He added that this year would be the retailer’s largest digital social campaign, redirecting more budget into digital, rather than celebrity ambassadors.
"We don’t want to be predictable," he said. "We’ve had some amazing celebrity campaigns but we sensed that the meaning of magic and sparkle this year didn’t have to be impaired by any unique celebrities.
"This year we wanted to go a step further and give magic and sparkle a greater meaning and bring it to life. The magic of Christmas is what it brings to people and a little part in each one of us that wants to believe in the extraordinary."
Speaking to Marketing, Bousquet-Chavanne said M&S was entering the intense Christmas trading period with confidence and that the campaign was designed to capture the emotion and spirit of the nation, communicating the brand's quality credentials.
"Christmas retail is intense in the UK, but we come into this period with a lot of confidence and a lot of heart," he said. "Our view is to make sure our brand captivates emotions and is in sync with, and contributes to, the spirit of the nation."
He added that, with an "amazing food line up" of 300 new lines, the aim of the Christmas marketing campaign would be to capture a "key moment" for the retailer and a "special moment to connect with our customers".
"This is when people refer to M&S and where our quality is really valued," he said. "So again you’ll see us bringing taste, quality and style to the forefront of our campaign."
.jpg)
.jpg)