to allowing the company to obtain raw materials, implies the changes that were made to clarify the focus on not only M&S customers, but the whole environment; sympathising towards new potential customers and broaden the stakeholders group.
3. M&S annual report 2017 Marks & Spencer has released the annual report of 2017 on its corporate website, highlighting the events and successes of the year. The report has been written as an honest statement, pointing out the focus on the customers’ needs, via two-way communication. However, alongside the successful marketing, the annual report also indicates the loss in numbers and negative events, giving itself the readers a thoughtful note. Chairman, Robert Swannell, is proudly talking of the company as ‘well equipped for the digital age and totally focused on its customers’ (M&S, 2017). As it is his last annual report at M&S, Swannell is proudly talking about the improvements and foundations for growth. However, the statement is clearly stating that the company’s profit before tax was £613.8m, down 10.3% on last year and that the group profit has fell. From the media relations side, the Chairman is giving an honest announcement, informing about the losses and takes part of the blame himself for the decrease of the numbers. Chief executive’s strategic update, provides the readers with a clear outline that the main goal for the company is to stand strong as a sustainable retainer, by focusing on the two-way symmetric communication model; aiming at the customers and providing them with what they need by listening to their needs. Steve Rowe, chief executive officer, in the report, clarifies the goal behind the ‘Plan A’ and how it was ‘repurposed to make it more customer-focused’ (M&S, 2017). The annual report, informs the readers about the M&S customer segmentation, and how the company makes connections between its employees and the audiences. The chart shows, that 38% of the customers are male and 62% female, with a total number of 32 million customers. The brand is aware of the technological innovations throughout the years, and the fact that over 50% of the online orders have been made via tablets or smartphones, stating itself the easy access to the website.
4. Situation analysis: Paddington Christmas ad case study Marks & Spencer has released its Christmas advert in November 2017, aiming at kids and families this Christmas. However, the success of the campaign has been a wide topic among its viewers, and PR practitioners. It is therefore argued that the campaign has been the lest successful overt the past years, in comparison to previous promotions from the organisation. Soon after the advert was released, it has gained a lot of criticism as, it was believed by many that the video contained a swear word (Evening Standard, 2017).