An ad campaign for Marks & Spencer, the venerable British retailer, has transformed the company's image--and its bottom line. Ads that feature the 1960s fashion icon Twiggy and younger models dressing
up for glamorous nights out on the town are responsible for an 11% rise in revenue and a 32% increase in pretax profit in the most recent half-year period.
"It's an emotional celebration
of dressing up from a brand that had been perceived as a bit middle-aged and dull," says James Murphy, chief executive of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, the agency that created the ads. Marks &
Spencer CEO Stuart Rose has sharply increased spending on marketing, which rose to £59.6 million, or $114 million, in the most recent half-year period from £47.6 million a year earlier.
But the Marks & Spencer campaign might not have worked if the company had not also overhauled its stores. Rose has revamped the product line, focusing efforts on women's and
children's clothing, food and the all-important Christmas shopping season.
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