M&S has launched its Christmas campaigns for both food and clothing. For the food spot, the brand has transformed the Percy Pig motif seen on its line of sweets into a fully animated character for the first time.

The store ran a pre-campaign, #whoispercypig, to tease the new voice of Percy, which has been revealed to be Spider Man actor Tom Holland. Meanwhile Dawn French – a fairy on top of the Christmas tree – takes on the role of Percy’s companion as the two scamper around the M&S store after hours. The two characters conveniently stumble across the Christmas food range in a clandestine escapade in the style of Night at the Museum.

While the story isn’t exactly profound, the introduction of an animated mascot feels something of a change in tone for M&S, bringing the brand closer to the style of John Lewis’ Christmas offerings.

It’s the first in a series of seven M&S Food ads that will be released each week leading up to New Year, in which Percy Pig is set to encounter more of the store’s offerings.

M&S has simultaneously launched a Christmas spot for clothing and home created by Odd, which builds on the brand’s Anything But Ordinary strategy. Directed by Autumn de Wilde, the ad is a far glitzier and more choreographed offering inspired by musicals.

The campaigns are being pushed across social, including an emphasis on TikTok, as well as in print, with a wrap on the Metro newspaper this morning.

Credits (food):
Agency: Grey London
Creatives: Sam Haynes, John Gibson
Directors: Dom & Nic

Credits (clothing):
Agency: Odd
ECD: Nick Stickland
Creatives: Turhan Osman, Emma Jordan
Director: Autumn De Wilde
Production Company: Anonymous Content