NI Commercial

M&S Plan A

M&S launched an iconic advertising campaign in The Sunday Times to communicate a £200m ethical plan and, in the process, shaming rivals for giving up on "fashionable" eco-policies due to the recession.

The national press and digital campaign, called "Doing the Right Thing", broke with a "manifesto" press ad outlining the key tenets of its £200m five-year ethical trading initiative, called Plan A.

Why did M&S partner with The Times?

• Engaging consumers
• Over 1.2 million M&S shoppers
• 3.46 million ABC1 Adults
• Over 3.98 million adults

Engaging decision makers:

• The Times is the number one quality daily for business people
• 1 in 4 C Suite Execs –63% more than the Daily Telegraph

We’re on the same page:

• Sunday Times readers say ‘I am prepared to pay more for green goods’ Index 125
• ‘It is important that a company acts ethically’ Index 110

Results:

• High awareness and positive reaction
• 25% of all respondents were aware of the Plan A initiative, even stronger for females (38%)
• 52% recognised the Plan A campaign in The Times /The Sunday Times*
• Female readers were more responsive to the campaign
• 38% said the campaign made them want to purchase eco friendly products
• Environment is important for our readers 79% female and 66% male readers think that it is important for companies to act eco conscious

Summary:

• M&S campaign in The Times/Sunday Times received a high awareness and recall -higher than the industry average
• The campaign strengthened the perception of M&S green credentials and educated readers on how to be eco friendly
• It engaged readers and made them think differently about environmental topics
• Female readers tend to be more receptive to ‘green’ issues