Status Quo re-record their biggest hit for M&S Food: ROCKIN’ ALL OVER THE STORE
Known for challenging the status quo on value in recent years, M&S Food is marking the sale of one billion of its ‘Remarksable value’ products and iconic Dine In deals this week with a song to galvanise its 65,000 colleagues across the UK and set social media ablaze.
The retailer has seen its value perception skyrocket in the past 12 months to its highest ever level*, all thanks to the power of TikTok and M&S’s amazing quality products.
M&S Food is turning up the volume on its commitment to unbeatable value with a new collaboration with icons of rock & roll Status Quo, who have updated the lyrics to their 1977 hit ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’ to ‘Saving All Over The Store’ which is launching on social media on Monday 22nd January across M&S’s TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels. The new lyrics include M&S’s much-loved ‘Dine In’ deal and other budget-friendly initiatives such as its ‘Remarkable Value’ products and ‘Dropped & Locked’ prices on customer favourites.
The idea for a song to rally the thousands of M&S colleagues in fact came from the shop floor – following a spate of viral videos by colleagues who manage each store’s social media pages, one team manager – Jack Norbury from M&S Devizes in Wiltshire – submitted a request directly to CEO Stuart Machin for a song that teams could use on TikTok to get even more views. Jack had previously racked up millions of views for the M&S Devizes TikTok account with his videos all about the retailer’s excellent value credentials.
It was a ‘yes’ from the CEO’s colleague ideas scheme and the idea was passed on to Sharry Cramond, Director of Food Marketing and Loyalty, to make it happen and make this TikTok rock star’s dream a reality.
Last Thursday, shoppers at M&S Purley Way in south London were treated to a big surprise as Jack joined Status Quo in the Fruit and Veg section at the front of the store to record the music video to accompany the new song. The band, complete with guitars, keyboard and a drum kit, stunned customers with their performance and were soon joined by colleagues from the store (including store manager Camilla Harris) who joined in with their own replica guitars, rocking out as shoppers looked on excitedly.
“When I heard that M&S was not only going to record a song for us but was also bringing in the actual Status Quo for it, it was a real ‘pinch-me’ moment,” said Jack. “I already couldn’t believe it when my videos started getting over a million views on TikTok, but finding out that we were going to be recording with these rock & roll legends really was a life-changing experience.
“I can’t wait to see how other M&S colleagues up and down the country use this song on their own videos and get our Remarksable Value ranges trending!”
Since recording the song, Jack has now moved to the M&S Weston Lock Bath store where he has already set up a brand-new store TikTok account.
Sharry Cramond, Director of Food Marketing and Loyalty at M&S, said: “When we helped our stores launch their own social media accounts during lockdown, sharing vital information with local customers, I don’t think anyone could have predicted how much of a roaring success they’d still be – we now have over 1,000 store accounts and their videos receive 3.5million views every week! It’s brilliant to see colleagues like Jack using their stores’ TikTok channels to shout about our incredible value. Thanks to them we’ve seen our value perception improve to its highest ever level.
“Whether it’s our Remarksable Value ranges, our iconic Dine In deals, our Dropped & Locked prices, our bigger pack better-value products, or our broad selection of ‘Specials’ each month across fruit and veg, flowers, bakery and wine, we are truly challenging the status quo on value every day here at M&S Food!”