FROM Marks & Spencer comes a sales ploy that even Private Eye’s Desperate Marketing column might think is too far-fetched.
The store is launching a range of women’s underwear inspired by the ‘horrific death of George Floyd’.
Are they serious?
Yes they are. Floyd’s death is being linked to the retail giant’s new Nothing Neutral About It collection of bras and pants, which features a variety of shades reflecting different skin colours. The idea is that women can match their underwear to their ethnic skin tone.
All well and good, you may say, but what the hell has that got to do with George Floyd?
Laura Charles, M&S Lingerie Director, explains enthusiastically that the idea for the new collection came after collaboration with the retail giant’s ‘Culture and Heritage Network.’
She puts us straight on the perceived Floyd connection, saying: ‘The horrific death of George Floyd and the global conversation on race, equality and unconscious bias really spurred us on to go harder and faster.’
So there you have it. But does M&S have to mention George Floyd’s death in connection with its women’s underwear? At best, it sounds bizarre.
But it seems no retail outlet these days can see a bandwagon passing by without jumping aboard. Desperate marketing indeed.
