Digital Marketing, Branding and Strategy Report - University Name

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Marks & Spencer's brand revitalization and communication plan, focusing on the UK market. It begins with an executive summary and introduction outlining the report's objectives and key proposals. A detailed situation analysis, encompassing both macro and micro environmental factors, is conducted to identify strategic issues. The report then delves into a brand audit, brand positioning, and the development of a conceptual map to understand consumer perceptions. Customer segmentation is explored, leading to the creation of consumer personas. Media landscapes are analyzed to inform a proposed communication strategy aligned with specific objectives. The report concludes with a summary of performance indicators and metrics for evaluating the strategy's effectiveness, offering valuable insights into revitalizing the M&S brand.

Running head: DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
Digital marketing, branding and strategy
Name of the student
Name of the university
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1DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
Executive Summary
This report provides a detailed analysis of Marks & Spencer to develop a corporate brand
revitalisation and communication plan. The macro and micro environmental analysis has shown
that the company had been facing issues in their clothing segment for the past two decades. The
company has lost their market share significantly and are down to 7%. Therefore, two consumer
personas have been discussed to determine the target market for the company as their initial
branding strategy is vague and aims to address too large a group. The media landscapes have
been described based on the consumer personas and a communication strategy has been
proposed. The communication strategy has been based on the objectives chosen. The summary
describes the performance indicators and metrics for understanding the effectiveness of the
strategy implemented.

2DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Situation Analysis............................................................................................................................4
Macro Environmental Analysis...................................................................................................4
Micro Environmental Analysis....................................................................................................5
Brand Audit.....................................................................................................................................6
Brand positioning.........................................................................................................................7
Conceptual Map...........................................................................................................................9
Customer Segmentation...................................................................................................................9
Analysis of Media Landscape........................................................................................................14
Proposed Communication Strategy...............................................................................................15
Summary........................................................................................................................................19
References......................................................................................................................................21

3DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
Organisation: Marks & Spencer
Country: UK
Introduction
This report focuses on developing a corporate brand revitalisation and communication
plan for the brand Marks & Spencer. The report is expected to propose better engagement
opportunities for the consumers where the new branding strategy would attract new consumers
and retain the existing ones in the market. Marks & Spencer is one of the major retailers in the
Great Britain having their headquarters’ in Westminster, London (marksandspencer 2020). The
company specialises in selling food products, home products and high quality clothing. The
company has almost 1000 stores in the market where the majority are only selling food products
(marksandspencer 2020). The food products offered by the company is known for their
freshness, innovation and quality. Moreover, in the clothing segment the company offers
contemporary products at great value. It is a multinational brand with its presence in more than
50 countries in the global platform (marksandspencer 2020).
Even though the company is located in every premium high street in Britain, the
company runs two entirely different business segments under the same store. The home ware and
the clothing segment which accounts for the majority of the revenue in the market have been in
the slump for the past decade (Ritson 2017). However, the food segment has shown promising
business growth when compared to the other segments in the market. The financial crisis of 2008
has affected the company significantly and they have not been able to regain their position in the
market even after continuous effort in the past years (Ritson 2017). This report focuses on the
clothing segment which has been significantly affected due to the changes in the business
structure in the past few years. The major problem for Marks & Spencer is in their brand equity
which is developed on the visions of pertinent quality and value.
The emergence of the British from the working classes to middle classes resulted in these
consumers looking for service and products at accessible price points. Marks & Spencer was able
to achieve an equilibrium between value and quality within the organisation (Ritson 2017). In the
21st century, there has been a change in the consumer’s purchasing behaviour where they have
been looking to trade for high end luxury products which was readily offered by low end mass

4DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
producers. Therefore, Marks & Spencer is in the middle which is the most unpleasant position to
be in the market. The high end consumer never purchased from Marks & Spencer in the first
place and the lower end of the consumers, prefer purchasing from heavy discounters which poses
major concerns for the organisation.
Situation Analysis
Macro Environmental Analysis
Political The political stability of a country significantly contributes to the business
of any organisation and with the development of new businesses in the
market. However, with Brexit round the corner, UK leaving EU
significantly affects the operation of the company. It is not clear where UK
will stand post Brexit especially in case of tariffs and trade regulations
(Minford 2016). Moreover, the stipulated outcomes are expected to be less
favourable to all retailers. In case of a hard Brexit, there could be a loss of
free trade policies with the European suppliers (Douch, Edwards and Milne
2017). It results in high cost of products for the end consumers in the
market. Free trade is one of the key aspects of modern globalisation which is
the reason that Marks & Spencer is able to freely operate in the global
market. It helps them in offering products at competitive prices which is
being significantly affected due to Brexit.
Economic Price has been a key factor in the retail industry and the emergence of the
budget retailers in the industry has significantly affected the business (Jafari
and Britz 2020). The economic recession and uncertainty in the market due
to BREXIT favours these budget clothing stores as majority of these
consumers have become conservative as consumers are encouraged to try to
similar products at lower prices (Douch, Edwards and Milne 2017).
Moreover, the disposable income of the consumers have also decreased in
UK which implies people are expected to purchase from budget stores more
often (Jafari and Britz 2020).
Social The society in UK is multicultural with consumers looking for trendy
products. The consumers have been looking for latest fashion products at

5DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
affordable prices (Peck 2017). However, the company has failed to upgrade
their fashion segment significantly which is the reason it is far behind
fashion brands such as Zara and H&M. Even though, majority of the
consumers in the United Kingdom have a higher ageing population, people
have become more inclined to the latest fashion trends.
Technological Technological growth in UK is high and is one of the top countries in terms
of technological superiority. Self-checkout is one of the major technological
trend which helps in saving money for the retailers by offering consumers
with checkout experience which implies faster services (Owens 2017).
Moreover, the growth of ecommerce and online shopping is rapid in the
United Kingdom where all the retailers are operating on the online platform
to provide convenience to the consumers.
Legal Brexit affects the legal environment of the retailers as there may be changes
in taxation policies and changes in regulations in maintaining relationship
with the suppliers in the market (Minford 2016).
Environmental Sustainable products is one of the major stance taken by majority of the
companies in UK as environmental rules and regulations are stringent in the
UK. Therefore, the retailers are supposed to have a certain limit on their
carbon emission from their products which implies that all companies in the
retail organisation have to maintain environment friendly operations and
products to remain competitive in the market (Owens 2017).
Table 1: Pestle
Source: (Perera 2017)
Micro Environmental Analysis
Bargaining power of the suppliers The bargaining power of the suppliers for Marks &
Spencer is relatively low as there are large number
of suppliers available in the market.
Bargaining power of the consumers The bargaining power of the consumers is relatively
high as the retail segment in the United Kingdom is
highly saturated and the switching cost for the

6DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
consumers is relatively low.
Threat of substitution The threat of substitution in the market is also high
due to the presence of large number of online
retailers and smaller retail organisations offering
similar products at lower prices.
Threat of new entrant The threat of new entrant in the market is low due to
the recent implication of Brexit and new companies
would face high entry barriers in competing with
other major retailers in the market. The amount of
capital and huge investment required in the market
makes it difficult for new companies to enter the
market.
Competitive rivalry The competitive rivalry in the market is relatively
high as the market is saturated and presence of large
number of companies makes the market competition
intense.
Table 2: Porter’s five forces
Source: (Abalkhail 2019)
Brand Audit
Strengths Weaknesses
 The brand has high recognition in the
market
 The brand value is high due to the
high quality of the products offered
 The company offers wide variety of
products
 The company has larger presence in
the market
 The stores are out of fashion and non-
trendy
 Lack of innovation and adoption of
new techniques
 Lack of variety in the clothing
segment

7DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
 Designer brands are popular
Opportunities Threats
 Increasing global presence in the
market
 Develop new trendy clothing brands
 The organisation has the opportunity
to attract new consumer segments
 Increase in competition in the retail
segment
 Decrease in disposable income among
the middle segment consumers
Brand positioning
Figure 1: Brand positioning
Source: (fmckeiraobrien 2019)
Marks & Spencer have always developed strategy to reassert their quality in the clothing
segment to manage the decrease in sales but their strategies over the past few years have failed to
improve their position in the market in comparison to other companies like Zara and H&M
(Elven 2018). The company’s brand metrics have fallen in respect to all other brands in the

8DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
market but even though the organisation enjoyed strong positioning due to their value and quality
offered, it has deteriorated in the past few years (Elven 2018). Marks & Spencer can be divided
into high street fashion, a supermarket and general retailer. In the general retail segment, the
company has always scored high based on the consumer’s perception of the satisfaction, value,
quality, reputation and impression (Baker 2014). Moreover, in terms of recommending the
company to other consumers, the company has exceled in this segment. Moreover, in terms of
the clothing segment and as a high street fashion retailer, the company had various issues which
affected their sales significantly (globaldata 2018).
Marks & Spencer has lost its position as market leader in the UK fashion segment to
Primark in the year of 2018 due to the closure of some of their stores. The company has been
losing its share in the clothing segment for more than a decade (globaldata 2018). Even though, it
had been one of the favourite brands for older women, the new branding strategies were
confusing and has not been able to cater to the needs of neither the older nor the younger
consumer segment. This is one of the main reasons that clothing segment have witnessed a
continuous decline in the past years. The current market share in the clothing segment shows that
that current market share of Marks & Spencer is 7 percent which implies that there has been a
decrease by 50 percent in the past two decades (globaldata 2018). Moreover, closing stores has
one of the major strategies of protecting the company but it does not actually focus on providing
growth opportunities to the company. Therefore, there is a significant need of changing the way
the clothing segment operates along with the product designs and quality offered by the
organisation (Baker 2014).
Conceptual Map
The consumers have changed their perception towards Marks & Spencer products as the
price ranges are higher compared to the fast fashion and top brands in the market, and the
company is charging thrice the price for the same product. The company focuses on maintaining
its premium price and consumers have always identified it as a premium brand in the market.
Therefore, the consumers have a perception that they are worth paying more. However, with
BREXIT, the perception of the consumers have changed where they have become conservative
due to the increase in uncertainty. Therefore, more and more consumers are moving on from
Marks & Spencer as people are unable to find their sizes due to continuous change in the fit and

9DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
prices are quite high(Wood 2019). Quality, luxury and trust are major brand association points
for the consumers where the company wishes to make every moment special for the consumers.
It implies that the consumers associate shopping at M&S with luxury experience. The core idea
is value first which indicates the focus on the quality of the products offered to the consumers.
However, the definition of special has changed for the consumers which implies that there are
other aspects which are more important for the consumers. The latest M&S campaign invites the
consumers to spend it well which emphasises on the needs of the consumers. Therefore, it
depicts the transition from being an old traditional brand to a modern cultural state. The nature
of value has changed in the industry and value is different consumers in the modern era.
Therefore, the company has been trying to reinvent their brand but it all in vain as they
have trying to address a mass consumer segment without exactly catering to the needs of the
particular segment. Moreover, the online retail organisations have gained supremacy due to
better designs and low price ranges (Wood 2019). Therefore, it can be seen that even though the
quality of the products offered by Marks & Spencer is better, it is being perceived by consumers
as same quality as Primark due to the generic designs which lacks individuality and
differentiation capabilities (Wood 2019).
Customer Segmentation
It is not possible for Marks & Spencer to attract all consumer segments. Therefore, it is
essential to identify the right target consumers and address them clearly. Marks & Spencer needs
to understand the consumer personas they need to address to improving their declining sales in
the retail segment and improve the quality of the products offered by them (Diggins, Chen and
Chen 2016). The target segment for Marks & Spencer has always been mythical middle aged
woman that liked wearing comfortable clothing and less challenging for them. However, this
approach has proved to be ineffective which means that majority of the consumers have switched
to other products in the market. The potential consumer personas have been described below:

10DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
Persona 1
Name: Olivia
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Unmarried
Age: 25
Location: Liverpool
Occupation: Corporate Employee
Income: £ 35,000 annually
Her Values and Goals
She is an independent women living life on her own terms. She is a fashion enthusiasts and
tracks new trendy outfits. She prioritises work over everything and wants to grow in terms of a
person and the position she hold in her respective organisation. However, she is a strong
advocate for work life balance but often works longer hours during the evening. She is a fitness
freak and continues to work out every day and maintains a healthy diet. She believes that looking
good adds to her personality and she wants to look presentable at all times.
The experience she wants
She wants to purchase products conveniently without any extra hassle and as she is picky about
her clothing choices she wants variety of options available to her. She uses online shopping for
her experience and saving time but often prefers going to trendy stores to select and choose
between the products she wants. Even though she is highly active on social media websites and
gathers majority of her recommendations from electronic word of mouth, she prefers purchasing
products through series of comparison with other products. She wants continuous support from
customer care while navigating on the variety of products available in the market. She wants
quality and trendy products at affordable prices.

11DIGITAL MARKETING, BRANDING AND STRATEGY
A day in her life
She likes waking up early in the morning and work out for two hours. She gets ready for
work and leaves by 8 o clock in the morning and spends her entire day at work till 7 in evening.
She attends local pubs and spends her evening with friends most of times. She comes back home
by 10 pm and goes to sleep within an hour.
Problem to be addressed
She does not have adequate time to physically shop in stores and prefers making online
purchases from online stores. However, she is unable to find quality products at affordable price
which are trendy in the market. She cannot afford to spend too much on expensive clothes as she
is living on her own and has to manage all her expenses.
Her common objections to Mark & Spencer products
She feels that products offered by Mark & Spencer have high price range but does offer
the variety and the design based on the latest trend. Even though, the product are high quality,
the product lack variety in design, colours and does not match her needs and personality.
Persona 2
Name: Jenny
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Married for 15years
Age: 45
Kids: She has two kids
Location: London
Occupation: Dean of a University
Income: £ 65,000 annually
Her Values and Goals
She is an independent women and manages her family on her own. Her son is high school and
her daughter has just joined college this year. She is hardworking and focuses on leading a
balanced life where her priorities are dependent on the needs of the family. She loves to teach