Sacha Spinas
Brand marketing lead
Marks & Spencer
Sacha Spinas joined Marks & Spencer as an assistant marketing manager for womenswear in 2019, and has worked her way up to become brand marketing lead across womenswear, menswear, kidswear and lingerie over the past five years.
Previously working in PR and across fashion and lifestyle brands in South Africa and the UK, Spinas has used all her experience to play an instrumental role in M&S’s “always on” marketing strategy, as part of the company’s transformation.
She led the complete overhaul of M&S’s omnichannel content planning and proposition to improve style, brand perceptions, integration, and cost efficiency across online, in-store and social media channels.
Since embarking on her career, Spinas believes marketing has shifted from a “one-size-fits-all” approach to “reaching the right person with the right message at just the right time”.
“Some of the best ideas come from thinking outside the box, so don’t be afraid to push boundaries. Most importantly, have fun along
the way.”
“Digital channels, especially social media, have completely changed the game, making marketing far more data-driven. Now, we can create targeted, personalised experiences that we’d only dreamed of before,” she adds.
Working on the M&S spring 2024 campaign, Spinas brand managed the first in-house TV ad campaign and helped to increase market share over the period by 0.3%.
She sees the biggest opportunities for marketers as being AI and data analytics tools to “make each interaction feel unique” to consumers through personalisation.
Despite describing “staying authentic while keeping up with the demand for constant content” as a challenge, she says “M&S see this as a chance to drive smarter, more creative solutions”.
Spinas studied psychology at the University of South Africa, and has taken part in the Marketing Week Mini MBA in Marketing to deepen her knowledge. For those looking to get into the industry, she advises being “curious, adaptable, and ready to learn”.
“Some of the best ideas come from thinking outside the box, so don’t be afraid to push boundaries. Most importantly, have fun along the way,” she adds.
Spinas coaches junior members of her team and has worked to forge relationships with key partners, including a collaboration with Young Minds to support parents and children with mental wellness when returning to school.
Over the next 10 years, Spinas sees “marketing becoming even more real-time and personalised”, but believes the “fundamentals – understanding your audience, delivering a strong brand message, and building lasting relationships – will always matter”.
