Resource created by M&S Archive.

 

Aim of the resource

This resource is intended to provide a broad picture of the development of M&S marketing, using selected items from the M&S Archive collection. The overall aim of the resources is to show changes in marketing through the history of the company, and how this links to social history and world events.

 

Curriculum Links

• KS4 Business
• KS3 Literacy: creative writing, writing for an audience.

Learning Objectives

• Gain knowledge about the way fashion was promoted in the past
• Understand the importance of advertising to promote a business
• Gain skills in recognising archive and contemporary material

 

• Imagine it’s 15 years into the future. Write an account of what shopping is like. Think about:
  
  • Will there still be shops and markets?
  • In what ways town centres might be different
  • What forms of transport will people use and why?
  • How will people browse and pay for products?

KS4 Business

• In the 1960s, adverts like this one called Carefree Summer were seen as ground-breaking. Print advertising had previously been the most common way of promoting products. How many different forms of 'print' advertising can you think of? This resource about M&S Advertising might help.
• What other methods of advertising do companies use today to promote products or services?
• Online shopping is now an important part of the retail trade. What are the advantages and the disadvantages of this for:
  • the customer
  • the retailer
  • society and communities
• M&S has evolved as a business over time. How have companies like M&S diversified? What other services do they now provide and why? 
• Read the transcript of the 1959 St Michael News article about fashion shows (see Resources). Identify words, phrases or names that seem old-fashioned. Write a report of these fashion shows in language you would use today.
• Use the M&S Advertising and Branding timeline to analyse how advertising changes from decade to decade?

Glossary

Society - a group of people living in the same place or sharing the same beliefs
Retailer - someone who sells things
Diversify - reducing risk by expanding into different areas (of business)