‘Our secret weapon’: M&S on reaching a new generation by using its colleagues as influencers
By utilising its store colleagues, Marks & Spencer is taking an innovative approach to social media to meet consumers where they are.
When you think of influencers then Love Islanders and TikTokers with millions of followers immediately spring to mind – but Marks and Spencer is shifting perceptions by using its ‘ordinary’ everyday colleagues to represent the retailer across its social channels.
Its ‘Insiders Programme’ was designed to bring “M&S products to life” and “drive style perceptions” for customers, according to M&S’s clothing and home marketing director Anna Braithwaite, with 19 (soon to be 22) insiders currently being utilised by the brand.
“Our secret weapon is using actual colleagues. They’re the ones who are closest to the product, have that knowledge on materials and sustainability, as well as what’s on trend. But most importantly, they know what customers want,” she tells Marketing Week.
