M&S is the UK’s biggest clothing retailer and somewhat of a national institution. The fondness the public feels for M&S is unparalleled, making the role of brand voice all the more important.

When M&S approached me to work with the brand, its tone lacked a consistent personality and felt disconnected from sister brands living under the corporate umbrella (such as M&S Food). My brief was to fix this with a practical set of guidelines that would empower writers to consistently deliver a compelling tone of voice that achieved cohesion with the broader M&S brand and differentiation from the competition.

As part of my research phase, I scrutinised and moodboarded M&S content, competitor copy and inspiration from beyond the high street, and led a creative workshop with writers from across M&S’s copy, editorial, social and e-commerce teams. The resulting guide introduced new tonal values and demonstrated how they could be flexed across departments (womenswear, menswear, kidswear and homeware) and channels (in-store, e-commerce, email, social, ATL, packaging and print). This project organically led to another in which I delved into the (many!) sub-brands at M&S and created a guide that would bring consistency and tone to product titles and descriptions, with subtle variations to suit each sub-brand personality.

I’m proud to say that all of this behind-the-scenes work is evident in the outstanding copy produced by the team at M&S, and I feel honoured to have worked with such a well-loved brand.

If your TOV is in need of some TLC, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.