Matalan Celebrates Fabulously Frantic Family Life in New Brand Platform

Matalan, the leading fashion and homeware omnichannel value retailer, today reveals its new brand platform, “We Get It, We’ve Got You.”

Created in partnership with McCann Manchester, the multi million pound campaign marks further progress in Matalan’s transformation led by CEO Jo Whitfield and her new leadership team.

The brand platform and creative, celebrates the reality of everyday family moments. Its launch is being marked with a kick off campaign, which includes a series of 10 and 30 second spots, in store activations; and a social media campaign.

The Spring spot launching today (22nd March) shows The Frank Clan rocking up at their local park for a dog walk and some fresh air. The ad draws comparison between the bliss of family time and the reality of the scramble and chaos needed to get ‘this lot’ out of the door on time!

The brand platform, which was developed over the past nine months, marks the next major step in Matalan’s long-term journey to return to its family-first roots and cement its position as the first choice for its Matalan families who want great value and hassle-free shopping.

It builds on the progress already made by Matalan’s leadership team, including a £35m investment to lower the prices of more than 700 products and the extension of its sizes to 22 across hundreds of products in-store and online.

Havas Media UK led the media strategy and planning for the launch campaign out of its Manchester office, brokering an extensive partnership with Global and securing lead spots on Heart and Smooth FM. It features on-air activity, social branded content, listener competitions, in-store activity, and the involvement of well-loved talent such as Josie Gibson, Zoe Hardman, Dev Griffin, who will celebrate the reality behind perfect family moments. Real customer stories will be at the heart of the campaign, with Global network listeners asked to share their family mishap stories to give us a glimpse of real family life.

On the creative, Imogen Tazzyman, executive creative director at McCann Manchester said, “We’re absolutely buzzing to get our new Matalan work out into the wild. None of us enjoy watching those picture perfect lives that don’t look anything like our own, so it was an absolute delight to work with the team to bring to life an idea that embraces family life in all its glory.”

Ali Jones, chief customer and omnichannel officer, Matalan, said. “Life for so many families has always been a fabulous but frantic juggling act, often filled with difficult trade-offs. Right now, it’s harder than ever.  We’ve spent time getting really close to our customers and understanding them more deeply. Through this campaign we want to show those families that we get them, and we’ve got them – with a choice of stylish products at great value and a hassle free-shopping experience that fits their lives.

She continued, “Nearly 40 years ago, our company was built by a family, for families. This brand platform and campaign is us getting back to those family-first, value roots. It marks another significant step forward in our journey to build a modern, stronger Matalan.” 

Lucy Barnes, joint general manager, Havas UK said, "In an age where reaching audiences is effortless, yet forging genuine connections challenging, we're thrilled to unveil this campaign. By collaborating with McCann and Matalan, we've shaped the brand platform using sharper audience insights and robust data. The smart choices we are making for the campaign will elevate Matalan's brand, redefine its identity, and enhance engagement across platforms, ultimately making Matalan more meaningful and distinctive throughout the customer journey for families across Britain."