‘Tis the season to sprinkle some fairy dust! This brand’s fairies made Christmas magical in the UK!
Why not give your target market something―even a simple token―to show them that they’re always part of your business’ priorities… or interact with them through a fun, holiday-themed marketing campaign! You don’t even have to necessarily spend a lot on this. Just make sure your campaigns are unique, interesting, and compelling. Read on to know how this multinational retailer tugged its customers’ emotions through a heartwarming, surprising, and magical Guerrilla Marketing campaign in 2014.
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‘Tis the season to sprinkle some fairy dust! This brand’s fairies made Christmas magical in the UK! There’s no doubt that this year’s Christmas will be very different for most of us due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying the Yuletide season! Despite the changes in celebrations and setup, one thing remains the same―there’s nothing as magical as spending the holiday season with friends and family… … and this brand took that magic to a whole new level with its holiday-themed campaign in 2014. Any ideas on what this brand is? Marks & Spencer (M&S)! M&S is a British multinational retailer with headquarters in London and England, and has more than 1,000 stores worldwide. It specializes in selling clothing, housewares, food, and beverage products. You’ll be surprised by how amazing its chocolates and biscuits are! In order to spread the “magic” of Christmas, M&S created… The “Follow The Fairies” Campaign! It all started with a mysterious Twitter account called @TheTwoFairies. By mysterious, we mean no one really knew that the account was handled by M&S’ social media team. The brand didn’t even disclose this information to all its staff―only those who were directly involved in the campaign were in on the secret. This idea came from creative PR and social agency Unity. The purpose of setting up a separate Twitter account? For M&S to track down users who were wishing for certain things on their Twitter accounts and make those wishes come true. On November 3, 2014 (yes, M&S started their Christmas campaign early), a number of people from different parts of the UK received gifts at their doorsteps. The gifts varied from cakes, teas, makeup products, and others, depending on what people wished for on Twitter. Take a look at some of the gifts posted online!
The gifts didn’t just arrive at people’s doorsteps as is… … they also came with riddles from The Two Fairies! “A viral campaign from a secret company, sending free gifts but not down your chimney, can you guess who this company is? Their clothes sales are dropping but their marketing’s a hit.” “If so far you have missed out upon our japes and merry mischief, get involved and join the joy, turn over a sparkling new leaf.” “Believe in us, believe in fun and play this game of wonder, we will return to cast our spell in London over and under…” What else did the fairies do? They flew over the Tyne Bridge in England (the campaign team used two drones and shaped them to look like fairies)…
…they turned the Landewednack Community Primary School in Cornwall―where it rarely snows―into a winter wonderland…
… and they also spread joy in hospital wards!
Now, for the big reveal about The Two Fairies, M&S created the “Follow The Fairies” video ad to let consumers know that it was behind the campaign and the mysterious Twitter account. American singer Julie London’s version of the song, “Fly Me To The Moon,” playing in the background, the video showed two girls clocking in for work at the Fairy Factory before flying across the UK to spread Christmas cheer.
The two fairies were named “Magic” and “Sparkle,” referencing to M&S’ initials. You’d see them in the video granting people’s wishes with just a snap of their glitter-filled fingers! On November 8, 2014, the ad was aired on TV in one episode of the music competition franchise, X Factor UK, and uploaded on YouTube after that. Was M&S’ “Follow The Fairies” Campaign Effective? According to communications agency Waggener Edstrom’s Brand Agility Index, which measures a campaign’s engagement, differentiation, originality, and relevance, M&S’ campaign garnered a high score of 42, compared to other brands with an average score of approximately 30. The agency said that M&S is “showing other retail brands how to do an integrated campaign, with strong content creation, audience interaction, and quick responses.” The creation of @TheTwoFairies’ Twitter account also proved successful for M&S, helping the brand boost its audience engagement rate. Other results of the campaign:
The results showed that M&S’ “Follow The Fairies” not only shared joy to people in the UK during Christmas, but also a positive and memorable experience with them. Do you also want to achieve success by launching a campaign that’s also this fun and exciting? Be inspired with M&S’ fairies and bring your own brand’s “fictional fairies” to life, especially this season! Create your own touch of magic and make your own campaign by showing random acts of magical kindness within your business’ reach. Remember: An effective marketing campaign is not just when you share joy and love to your target market, but also when you give them a memorable experience with your brand. The reason for doing so is simple: A fun holiday season + A clever marketing strategy = A brilliant guerrilla marketing campaign and a lasting positive impact on your customers and prospects! Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerilla Marketing! Do you want to learn about how one mouthwash brand’s campaign killed not just germs but also people’s insecurities? |
