Marks & Spencer’s Digital-First Christmas 2025 Campaign — Full Details
Campaign Overview
- M&S has unveiled a “product-first” Christmas campaign for its Fashion, Home & Beauty divisions. (Marks & Spencer)
- Instead of one traditional “hero” TV advert, the retailer is deploying several mini films and rolling out content drops over the festive period. (Retail Gazette)
- The campaign is structured in three phases:
- “Give the Gift” – launched ~23 October, featuring two 15-second clips around gifting. (Retail Gazette)
- “Host with the Most” – from 6 November, focused on partywear, hosting, décor. (Retail Gazette)
- “Get Your Christmas On” – from 4 December, emphasising winter fashion & beyond-Christmas styling. (Retail Gazette)
- The campaign will run across digital, social, print, TV and out-of-home (OOH), but with a heavier skew towards digital and social content. (Marks & Spencer)
- M&S is ramping up digital media investment: YouTube spending is up ~67 %, Digital Display & Video up ~232 % to deliver shoppable, high-impact placements. (Marks & Spencer)
- They are also launching (or amplifying) their presence on TikTok Shop, with curated product drops, creator-led content, live shopping and more. (Marks & Spencer)
Strategic Drivers & Rationale
- Shopping behaviour has changed: M&S’s research found 66 % of customers have already begun planning Christmas purchases; more are intending to dress up (38 % vs 33 % in 2023), decorate more (28 % vs 25 %). (Marks & Spencer)
- Phased shopping missions: Recognising that customers do not treat the holiday season as a single “everything at once” moment — instead they shop in phases (gifts → party/hosting → winter style). M&S is aligning the campaign to match that journey. (Retail Gazette)
- Digital / social first: With consumers increasingly “scrolling and shopping”, M&S is prioritising channels where attention is built and purchase intent triggered — short-form video, creator content, shoppable posts. (Marks & Spencer)
- Product at the heart: The “product-first” phrasing emphasises showcasing key items across fashion, home, beauty, gifting – rather than just focusing on brand story. (Marks & Spencer)
- Cross-category leverage: By structuring the campaign to cover multiple product segments (fashion, home, beauty, gifting) M&S is looking to maximise share of wallet across the seasonal spend. (Marks & Spencer)
Key Tactics & Execution Highlights
- Mini-films: Short clips (15s, 20s) tailored to each phase; e.g., “Give the Gift” teasers, “Host with the Most” party-focused, “Get Your Christmas On” winter fashion. (Retail Gazette)
- Shoppable digital content: Posts and ads where product items are directly clickable/purchasable; especially via TikTok Shop and social platforms. (Marks & Spencer)
- Influencer/ambassador collaboration: M&S is partnering with a curated mix of creators and ambassadors (e.g., Binky Felstead, AJ Odudu, Hattie Bourn, Melvin Odoom, Vernon Kay, Vogue Williams, Ian Wright, Olly Murs) to generate buzz and shoppable content. (Marks & Spencer)
- Increased media spend on high-impact digital: As above, YouTube and display/video spend up significantly. The idea: target discovery, inspiration and purchase all via digital channels. (Marks & Spencer)
- Multi-channel roll-out but digital-led: While TV, print and OOH remain part of the mix, digital content is the lead vehicle for the campaign. (Retail Gazette)
Expected Outcomes & Metrics (Based on M&S Commentary)
- Drive earlier purchase behaviour: Because consumers are planning earlier and spreading cost, launching early (late October) helps capture intent. (Marks & Spencer)
- Improve engagement and relevance: By aligning to how customers actually plan and shop (phases, product categories) rather than one big brand moment, M&S expects stronger connection.
- Boost digital commerce & social conversions: With shoppable content and platform-native shopping (TikTok Shop), the campaign supports conversion, not just awareness.
- Cross-category uplift: By marketing across gifting, fashion, home and beauty, M&S aims for broader seasonal basket sizes.
- Efficiency & measurement: Digital allows sharper tracking, faster feedback loops (via social listening, data) compared to purely TV campaigns.
Comments & Analysis
- Strong move: M&S’s shift away from the single big hero ad toward multiple, phased content drops is well aligned with current consumer behaviour (shorter attention cycles, online discovery, multiple shopping occasions).
- Digital dominance: The heavy lift in digital spend and shoppable functionality signals that M&S is treating Christmas as not just a branding exercise but direct commerce engine.
- Challenges:
- While digital is key, maintaining brand coherence across many mini-films and phases is harder than one big ad.
- The return on investment (ROI) of shorter films and social content needs to be closely managed (need for robust metrics).
- With increased competition (Christmas campaigns launched earlier and earlier), cut through may still be harder.
- Best practice take-aways:
- Align campaign phases to real purchase journeys (gifting → hosting → style) rather than one big blast.
- Make content shoppable: enable click-through, live shopping, conversion from inspiration.
- Use influencers and creator-led content to drive authenticity and social buzz.
- Use data (customer insight) to tailor campaign timing and content strategy.
- Integrate digital channels as lead, but keep omni-channel for full reach.
Implications for Marketers
- This campaign underscores that festive marketing is increasingly commerce first, not just emotional branding.
- Digital and social are now primary channels for holiday push. Brands must invest in short-form content, live shopping, platform-native experiences.
- The need for modular campaign architecture (phases, content drops) rather than one big shot is clear.
- Shoppable content is non-negotiable: momentum from inspiration to purchase must be seamless.
- Timing: With customers planning earlier (and budgets tighter), launching early (late October) gives advantage.
Summary
M&S’s 2025 Christmas campaign represents a digital-first, product-first pivot: multiple mini-films, phased content matching customer shopping behaviour, heavy investment in digital/shoppable content, creator partnerships, and cross-category coverage. The overarching aim is to reflect how customers shop (in stages), meet them where they are (scrolling, social, live shopping), and drive conversion, not just awareness.
- Here are case‑studies and commentary on how Marks & Spencer (M&S) has adopted a digital‑first strategy for its Christmas 2025 marketing campaign — detailing what they did, why it matters, and what we can learn from it.
Case Study #1: Phased, Product‑First Content Approach
What M&S did
- M&S introduced a “product‑first” campaign across their Fashion, Home & Beauty divisions, replacing the traditional single “hero” Christmas advert with multiple mini‑films and content drops. (Marketing Beat)
- They divided the campaign into three sequential phases:
- “Give the Gift” (launched ~23 October) – 15‑second clips around gifting. (Marketing Week)
- “Host with the Most” (~6 November) – focus on partywear and hosting. (Marketing Beat)
- “Get Your Christmas On” (~4 December) – focus on winter fashion and style. (Drapers Online)
- They ramped up digital media spend significantly: YouTube spend up ~67 %, digital display/video up ~232 % for the Oct‑Dec period. (Marketing Week)
- Emphasis on meeting customers “where they are” (scrolling, streaming, shopping) with social‑first content, rather than relying solely on TV. (InternetRetailing)
Why this matters
- Customers’ shopping behaviour is increasingly fragmented: they often plan gifts early, then party/hosting, then style for winter. M&S recognised that and built their campaign to align with these phases. (Drapers Online)
- The shift away from one large broadcast ad to many smaller, targeted drops supports better relevance, frequency and agility in digital channels.
- Large increases in digital media investment show acknowledgement that inspiration, discovery and purchase increasingly happen online and via mobile/social.
- The “product‑first” label means that M&S is emphasising actual items (gifts, home décor, winter wear) rather than purely brand storytelling — likely driving direct commerce rather than just awareness.
Commentary / What this shows
- M&S appears to be moving from a “big moment” strategy (a single impactful ad) to an “always‑on, content rhythm” strategy suited for the digital era.
- The three‑phase model is smart: it keeps relevance high across the full holiday period rather than peaking early and fading.
- However, this approach requires much better orchestration: analytics to drive which content to drop when, strong creative to maintain interest, and measurement to track many small pieces instead of one big one.
- For marketers: This is a good example of how legacy retail brands can adapt to digital‑first marketing by changing not just channels but campaign structure and creative logic.
Case Study #2: Social‑First & Digital Engagement Strategy
What M&S did
- The campaign is explicitly described as “digital‑first”, social‑led, built to reflect how customers actually shop—scrolling, streaming, shopping. (InternetRetailing)
- They increased investment in digital display/video, YouTube and implied use of influencer/ambassador partnerships (to amplify content organically). (InternetRetailing)
- They indicated that TV, print and out‑of‑home (OOH) remain in the mix, but the lead channel is digital, and content drops will appear across social and streaming. (Marketing Week)
Why this matters
- With consumers spending more time on streaming platforms, YouTube, social media and less in traditional TV‑only viewing, brands need to reach those places where attention is. M&S is acknowledging that.
- Social‑first content allows for rapid variation and tailoring: multiple short films, micro‑content, and the ability to test, optimise and share.
- A digital‑first approach supports direct commerce (e.g., shoppable content), shortened path from inspiration to purchase, and better data capture (which content works for whom).
Commentary / What this shows
- M&S is aligning its marketing with modern consumer behaviour: attention is distributed, discovery is social, purchase is increasingly online.
- The risk for the brand is maintaining standout in a saturated festive ad space (many brands are doing digital‑led campaigns). Execution quality, relevance and amplification will determine success.
- For other brands: This shift underscores that festive campaigns are no longer only about emotion and spectacle—they’re also about commerce and channel strategy.
Case Study #3: Internal Insights and Customer Behaviour Research
What M&S did
- They used research which found that customers are planning Christmas earlier and in phases: gifting, then parties/hosting, then winter style. (Drapers Online)
- M&S Marketing Director (Fashion, Home & Beauty) Sharry Cramond said:
“We realised that we were considering Christmas shopping missions too holistically. Customers don’t think or shop in that way … we’re taking a more contemporary approach with different mini content drops.” (Marketing Week)
- They also indicated that digital spend is rising in part because they believe customers are in a “scrolling and shopping” mindset. (Marketing Week)
Why this matters
- Using customer behaviour data enables M&S to align campaign structure with actual shopping missions rather than assumptions.
- It supports more targeted, relevant messaging — potentially improving ROI of marketing spend.
- It shows the importance of data‑led marketing in retail, particularly for seasonal campaigns where competition and spend are intense.
Commentary / What this shows
- The best campaigns don’t just look good — they are rooted in consumer insight and behaviour. M&S’s approach suggests they are applying this principle.
- However, translating insight into execution (mini‑films, multiple drops, digital spend) may increase complexity and cost; measuring the incremental benefit will be key.
- For practitioners: This reinforces the value of segmenting the customer journey (e.g., gifting vs. hosting vs. style) and matching campaign phases accordingly.
Key Takeaways & Commentary Summary
- Modern sequence over one‑off moment: M&S moves away from “one big advert” to a sequence of content drops aligned with how people actually shop.
- Digital‑first mindset: Increased digital spend, social‑first content, shoppable possibilities – the shift reflects changing consumer media habits.
- Customer‑centric segmentation: Campaign breaks down the festive period into distinct missions (gift → host → style) rather than treating it as one block.
- Commerce integration: By focusing on “product‑first” rather than pure brand narrative, M&S is making the campaign part of sales (not just awareness).
- Challenges ahead:
- Need to maintain creative freshness across multiple drops.
- Channel fragmentation means measurement becomes more complex.
- Risk of diluting brand impact if content is not standout among many holiday campaigns.
- Ensuring that offline (store, print, OOH) remains aligned with digital and supports the full experience.
Final Thoughts
M&S’s Christmas 2025 campaign is a strong example of legacy retail brand adapting to the digital age. By re‑thinking structure (phases), channels (digital first), and content (product‑first, social‑led), they aim to align marketing with how people shop today.
For competitors and marketing professionals, the key lesson is: don’t just change where you advertise – change how you design the campaign to match modern behaviours and multiple micro‑moments, and integrate commerce from the start.