The Cult of M&S

Picky bits, Christmas dinner and sweet treats. Just a handful of some of the nation’s favourite foods, all made best by M&S (I did not mean for that to rhyme but I think M&S really should consider me for their marketing team with that sensational slogan). Over the years, particularly on social media, M&S’s popularity has seemed to have skyrocketed. But why is it that this random supermarket has developed into a part of the UK’s national identity?

Evidence of just how loved their sensational sweet treats really are, can be seen earlier this year when M&S created an incredible marketing approach by exposing the identity of their most prized pastry chef: Harry. This post was met by a response that could only be compared to that of a global pop star with comments such as: “Harry, don’t mean to be dramatic but you changed my life” and “Put that man on the £10 note”, which sum up just how much adoration people felt. Harry clearly has become one of the nation’s heroes.

It is clear that a massive shoutout has to go to their social media team who react perfectly to current trends. From Strawberries and Cream Sandwiches to Dubai chocolate sandwiches (I’m yet to try both of these bizarre concepts), their unique ideas often stand out from the constant competitive market. With the help of food reviews from social media influencers, the aisles empty almost immediately when these types of products are introduced. Such as the Strawberries and Cream Sandwich becoming their most popular sandwich within only two days of its launch and selling 1 million sandwiches in a mere five weeks. It is clear other supermarkets really need to step up their marketing approaches and imaginations to attempt to get anywhere near the elite level of M&S.

Additionally, M&S play extremely well into the idea of Britishness, Union Jack items only scrape the surface, what I mean is posh stereotypes of their brand. It cannot be refuted that many people enjoy the idea of a posh lifestyle and like to experience a snippet of that world. Therefore M&S is perfect, as a middle-class brand, they enable people to feel slightly posh during the rather mundane task of food shopping, even if you only pick up a small sweet treat from them before heading to your actual weekly shop at Aldi. I cannot believe anyone actually does their entire food shop at M&S and if they do, they are likely lying. However a cheeky splurge for an M&S Christmas dinner is understandable.

Now, I couldn’t finish this article without addressing the elephants in the room: Colin the Caterpillar and Percy Pig. Both launched in the 1990s, these are two iconic figure that represent the childhoods of our generation; the perfect choices for birthdays, gatherings or just general snacking. Their cultural significance is so large that I found entire articles dedicated to their importance, while writing this piece. The popularity of these two figures has enabled M&S to thrive, selling over 400 million Percy Pig sweets and 15 million Colin cakes annually, they have both formed massive cults. Producing merchandise such as bedding, accessories and even teaming up with a nail polish brand to produce a pink duo inspire by Percy Pig’s colourings, their fan bases seem to be fierce. However do you think they might have stepped too far by producing a Percy Pig flavoured Colin the Caterpillar cake? I may not have tried it yet, but I hate to say I do feel that this is where we draw the line.

For me I feel that the sense of nostalgia is what makes M&S so special. Often bringing back favourite snacks from previous generations while inventing brand new snacks for the newest, they have an ability to bring families together through their food. The picky bits eaten at a picnic, the Christmas dinner, the service station snack stops; the list is endless. These small moments all played a crucial part in our lives, bringing just a tiny bit of joy to your day. My face still lights up on the odd occasion that my mum returns home from work with a box of mini bites, and yes between us we can finish an entire box, quite happily, in one sitting.

I guess we can all agree that that their food isn’t just food, it’s M&S food (sorry for the awful pun!). That to me, is the answer to my original question.

Now as a reward to myself for writing this article, I think it is only fair that I go and eat some mini bites (mini rolls and brownies incoming…).