
A Perfect Recipe for a Viral Hit
Marks & Spencer’s new sandwich became a huge hit overnight. It launched in late June 2025. The sandwich was inspired by Japan’s popular “furutsu sando.” It has slices of sweet milk-bread, whipped cream cheese, and juicy “Red Diamond” strawberries. Soon after, it became M&S’s top-selling sandwich. It also exploded on TikTok and Instagram. In fact, thousands of people posted about it, which led to lots of media attention.
A Look Made for Pictures
The sandwich’s look was a big reason for its success. The bold colors were key. For instance, the bright red strawberries stood out against the white cream. This created a great picture for social media. Reviewers even called it "clickbait food." They said it looked almost too good to eat. As a result, people stopped scrolling to look at it. Food expert Sigep says popular trends often take off because they look great in photos.
Good Timing and a Familiar Feeling
The Strawberries & Crème sandwich connected with British culture. The flavour is a classic part of summer, especially Wimbledon. Therefore, it created a feeling of warm nostalgia. M&S also cleverly mixed this familiar taste with the new Japanese style. This gave the sandwich a trendy feel without losing its main customers. Most importantly, it was a limited-time offer. It launched right before Wimbledon, which helped it become a shareable hit.
New, Different, and Hard to Get
M&S called the product its first-ever “dessert sandwich.” This simple move created instant buzz online. Even bad reviews helped. For example, some people questioned if a sweet sandwich was real "food." This debate only gave it more free attention. Because it was a limited edition, it created a sense of urgency. This "fear of missing out" made shoppers want to buy and post about it quickly.
How Social Media Made It Famous
The sandwich was made for social media. TikTok’s system favors content that gets lots of early likes and shares. As a result, it quickly pushed videos with the #strawberriesandcream tag to millions of users. The "unpack and bite" video style was also very simple. This meant creators could make a lot of content easily. These short clips showed real reactions, which are known to get more shares.
An Affordable and Easy Treat
The sandwich was an affordable treat at only £2.80. It was also a "lighter" choice with just 290 calories. This made it more popular than cakes or pastries. In addition, it was easy to find in M&S Foodhalls. This made it a simple grab-and-go item. It was perfect for "haul" videos and picnic posts that are popular online.
Influencers and Fan Content
The hype grew thanks to food reviewers and influencers. They posted early taste tests which made it seem more official. For instance, one popular video received thousands of likes and comments. In less than a week, the #strawberriesandcream hashtag had over 22,900 posts. This created a cycle where more people saw it and then posted about it themselves.
Trust in the M&S Brand
People already trust M&S as a quality brand known for new ideas. This trust helped a lot. Major news sources, like The Times, wrote stories about the launch. There was even a debate about the sandwich's tax code. This gave it more free publicity. Above all, it kept people talking about the sandwich.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the success of the Strawberries & Crème sandwich was no accident. It was the result of a very careful plan. M&S combined a photo-friendly design, a link to culture, and smart social media use. The sandwich had all the right parts for a modern food trend. For example, it looked great, felt familiar, and had a good price. Therefore, it became a memorable part of summer 2025.