Late September saw England Rugby and Saracens star Maro Itoje unveiled as the face of the M&S Collection and Autograph menswear ranges for AW21 via a parallel launch event and marketing campaign.
The stalwart UK clothing and food retailer said that it wanted to work with Itoje as he presents a “the perfect style hero for the M&S brand” and added that the new athlete ambassador tie-up “shows up as a brand is crucial for its aim of being more relevant, more often and encouraging customers to shop more categories”.
Relaxed silhouettes, stretch fabrics and smart separates in the campaign which seeks to cater for the continued shift towards smart/casual dressing and the creative sees Itoje wear sizes from M&S’s ‘Big & Tall’ collection designed for larger frames and all products featured were available online for next day collection from more than 700 M&S stores.
Initially teased on 27 September, 24 hours ahead of the official roll out, the campaign included a launch event and a series of social media ads with content including video and still imagery spearheaded by an Instagram and Facebook campaign.
“I’m delighted to be teaming up with M&S, a brand that I have grown-up with and loved wearing over the years, and that shares the same important values that I do,” said Itoje. “Style is a passion of mine, so to be asked to work with M&S to wear the new collections was an honour. There are so many great, stylish pieces from the new season that I can’t wait to wear again!”
Director of M&S Menswear Wes Taylor added: “Maro’s undeniable style and passion for clothing is evident, and with his shared values that we hold as a brand, he was an obvious choice to represent M&S– we are delighted that he has come on board to highlight our stylish new collections for autumn.”
Comment:
The campaign coincides with October ‘Black History Month’ and linked to this M&S selected Black Curriculum as its ‘Sparks’ charity for the month and this sees the retailer donate 2p every time a customer shops, double the usual 1p donation on every purchase.
Itoje is a patron for the Black Curriculum: an organisation which aims to teach Black British history in schools and support teachers through training.
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