Brands must learn to use social video to reach Generation Z December 19, 2018 UK retail giant John Lewis claims that its Christmas television adverts are among “the most effective marketing campaigns in the industry”. Perhaps this was the case once, but faced with impressing video obsessed Generation Z (those born since 1995), does it still hold true now? It appears that I am not the only one with [...]
Asos bosses snap up cheap shares after day of horror for fashion sector December 18, 2018 Asos boss Nick Beighton and chairman Adam Crozier have snapped up thousands of shares in the company in a show of confidence following the retailer’s profit warning. The two executives each bought shares worth roughly £100,000 this morning after the company saw £1.3bn wiped off its value in a disastrous day of trading. Beighton and [...]
John Lewis defies retail troubles as it reports festive sales rebound December 18, 2018 John Lewis has bucked the downward retail trend, reporting a rebound in sales last week as it matches rival pre-Christmas promotions. The department store said total sales for the week to 15 December were up 1.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. The employee-owned company said the sales boost was due to [...]
What this year’s Christmas adverts can teach us about making a great ad campaign December 17, 2018 With just over a week to go until Christmas Day, the big question is: have you bought all your presents yet? (I haven’t.) If you have, did any of this year’s festive ads sway your opinion? Did Elton John tickling the ivories mean that retailer John Lewis tickled your fancy, or did you feel like doing [...]
Christmas is giving us the gift of retail relationships December 16, 2018 This year’s flagship Christmas advert from John Lewis shows how the gift of a piano to Elton John as a child gave him a talent that he nurtured into an incredible career as a musician. The ad also raised an important question – what can marketers learn from the idea behind the slogan “a gift [...]
Carrot or stick? For Aldi and Lidl, equal pay goes hand in hand with commercial success December 13, 2018 Kevin the Carrot, who once again features in Aldi’s Christmas advert, is proving a bigger hit with shoppers than even Elton John, star of the John Lewis ad. Soft-toy versions of the animated vegetable sold out at 4am on the day of release in some areas and have reportedly provoked fights among customers desperate to [...]
Black Friday draws in biggest ever week of sales for John Lewis November 27, 2018 John Lewis Partnership said today that it has seen its biggest ever week of sales as shoppers flooded the beleaguered retailer’s stores for Black Friday discounts. Total sales for the week jumped 7.7 per cent when compared with the same week last year, as purchases hit a record in the firm’s 150-year-old history. Fashion and home [...]
Ditch expensive Christmas TV ads and switch to influencer marketing instead November 26, 2018 Last year, John Lewis spent £7m on its Christmas ad campaign. This year, it announced that its profits had crashed by 99 per cent. Debenhams also warmed the hearts of the Christmas consumers in 2017 with a sumptuous, but expensive, festive ad. In June, it announced that it would see its third consecutive profit slump. [...]
West End retailers go to town on promotions to ensure expected £150m Black Friday boost November 21, 2018 Retail sales on London’s busiest shopping streets are expected to see a £150m boost over the Black Friday weekend amid challenging conditions on the high street, according to a trade group representing retailers in the area. Sales are expected to equal those of last year among around 600 retailers on Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street, [...]
Weekly sales slump at John Lewis ahead of crucial Christmas period November 20, 2018 John Lewis Partnership has suffered its second consecutive week of tumbling sales, in a downturn that the retailer will be hoping to reverse as it enters Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season. Britain’s largest department store chain said today that total sales in the week to 17 November had plunged 6.8 per cent year-on-year, [...]