Nine of Britain’s biggest film and TV stars narrate ads in push that will donate £2m to chosen charities.
Marks & Spencer has brought on board nine of the UK’s most prominent acting names to voice a series of ads in its classic “Not just food” style, that come alongside charity donations totalling £2m from the retailer to a range of charities.
The campaign, created by Grey London, kicks off with a spot that is live on social media and TV from this morning, in which Olivia Colman, star of The Crown, tempts shoppers with M&S products including a Light Globe Gin Liqueur and Mini Beef & Porcini Yorkshires.
A further execution will launch every week from now until the new year, each voiced by a different celebrity and profiling different items from the range.
Colman is one of two women to have portrayed Queen Elizabeth II to be involved: Dame Helen Mirren is also set to appear, along with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Eddie Redmayne, Gillian Anderson, Jeremy Irons, Dame Julie Walters, Naomie Harris and Tom Hardy.
The campaign was created by Naomi Taylor and directed by Helen Downing through Pulse.
The glitzy casting of the ads will be balanced by a major charity initiative under which M&S is donating £2m to various causes. This includes donations to charities chosen by the acting talent – in Colman’s case, this includes blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, anti-abuse arts charity Tender and spinal-cord injury charity Back Up.
Alongside this, M&S has chosen 10 employees from across the UK who are its most active charity volunteers, and will make a donation to their chosen charities. And lastly, through loyalty scheme Sparks, it will donate a further £1m to charities, including Shelter, Together for Short Lives and a further 35 organisations supported by Sparks. Continue reading »
