Marks and Spencer’s (M&S) has announced Mother as its new creative agency for its UK clothing business, with the team’s first work for the retailer expected this Christmas.
The new partnership with the agency marks the end of House 337 as a creative agency for M&S’ UK clothing business, which followed M&S’ relationship with ODD London ending in 2019.
To better serve the British high-street titan, the Mother Family – drawn from Mother Design and Mother London – has built an integrated team in London, to bring its strategic, creative and design-led thinkers closer together.
Mother’s new appointment is hoped to help M&S evolve and drive system perceptions by improving the visual ethics of communications while building customer-centric thinking.
The appointment will cover season campaigns and collection launches, but not M&S Food, which is unaffected by this appointment and will remain with the M&S in-house creative team.
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Mother – who will also partner with the retailer’s in-house creative team on certain projects – did not follow a full creative pitch, making the first year of the partnership part of Mother’s ‘Pitch It Forward’ promise.
In addition, the first-year agency profits from working with the retailer will be directed towards ‘inspiring the next generation with creativity’, with the non-profit partner organisation receiving the funds to be jointly selected by Mother and M&S in the coming months.
“M&S is a much-loved brand with a special place in the hearts of many. It’s also a business with the drive to do and be better,” said Mother Design partner, Kathryn Jubrail.
“Having the opportunity to make a positive impact on every element of the clothing business – from product and store experience through to brand marketing – is going to push our creative thinking in new directions.”
M&S marketing director for clothing and home, Anna Braithwaite, added: “At M&S we’ve made no secret that we’re on a journey to reaffirm style credentials – and how we reach and connect with our customers plays a pivotal role in driving reappraisal and building fashion fame.”
“We’ve made real progress since the journey began, but now is the right time to bring on a new creative partner to increase the momentum and support us through this crucial next phase of our transformation.
“Mother’s unrivalled track record in developing brands that form part of the nation’s cultural fabric made the appointment a very easy decision. We look forward to working with the Mother Family to create transformative and culturally relevant campaigns that inspire the nation,” Braithwaite concluded.
