THE INSIGHT

Back to School searches had grown 45% year on year… and no-one was owning that moment, yet. By owning the Back to School moment, M&S reinforced that it is the best for every milestone. To do this, we addressed parents’ needs, but also establish an emotional connection with kids and parents.

INVENTORS WANTED 

By providing rich, engaging content that appeals to both parents and their children, we help to address parents’ emotional concerns and begin to build a relationship with them that is more than just transactional. We launched a nationwide search for inventors, asking parents and children to submit their ideas for the next school uniform innovation. The winners had the chance to meet an astronaut, touch a moon rock, stand under the largest rocket ever flown and visit the Atlantis space shuttle – the perfect reward for a little inventor.

ILLUSTRATED BY GAIL ARMSTRONG

We commissioned award-winning illustrator Gail Armstrong to work closely with Art Director Steven Leong and animator Peter Menich. The first element was to supply a kit of parts including a variety of paper planes, white versions of a variety of uniform items and the main title image for Inventors Wanted. The second phase was imagery for the different sections in the Back to School area of the M&S website, firstly to help the viewer put together the perfect uniform for a pupil's needs and also a Bitesize Ideas page with help and suggestions for healthy snacks and meals. Finally Gail illustrated the 33 Smart Innovations icons  and animations inspired by two of the innovations - Adjust-a-hem trousers and Stainaway Shirts. 

ANIMATED SHORT STORIES  

We created a two animated films The master stain theif and The trousers that grew too tall. Beautifully hand-crafted of paper sculpture animations that appears on the Inventors Wanted website and was utilised across social media channels as part of the widered campaign.