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 launched on social media on Monday 22nd January across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels.
The idea for a song to rally the thousands of 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.
“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.”
Last Thursday, shoppers at 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 who joined in with their own replica guitars, rocking out as shoppers looked on excitedly.
Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi said: “It’s not every day you get a call saying the Marketing Director at M&S Food has asked you to re-record one of your greatest hits for them. But sure, why not? Their new Purley Way store is my closest, so the wife and I have been in there quite a bit – big fan of their ‘Our Best Ever prawn sandwich’ I must say. Anyway, if you happen to hear our new song over on social media, happy days. And if you don’t, you might catch it on the store radio when you’re doing your next shop!”
Fans can watch the music video for ‘Saving All Over The Store’ on @marksandspencer social media channels and on Status Quo’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
Article by Chris Roberts MBE PR
