Over her five and a half years as marketing director of M&S Food, Sharry Cramond has earned a sector-wide reputation for increasing the brand’s recognition among younger people. On her watch, each store has established a unique presence on social media, from TikTok to Instagram to Facebook, representing a combined weekly reach of about 4 million people.
TikTok has proved especially important in engaging gen-Z shoppers. The M&S store in Romford, east London, used the platform to promote its own charity Christmas single, which reached number two in the iTunes charts. Meanwhile, the M&S Foodhall at The Springs retail park in Leeds has a TikTok page that’s attracted more than 700,000 views, thanks largely to videos featuring a member of staff called Michelle, who recommends her “monthly must-haves” from its shelves.
It’s little wonder that TikTok’s marketing team has praised the brand’s efforts as some of the best uses of social media by a retailer.