NEW YORK — When Terry Lundgren, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Federated Department Stores Inc., engineered the merger between Federated and May Department Stores Co., one of his goals was to bring the Macy’s name to the national consciousness.
Such recognition requires a critical mass of stores and a national advertising campaign. Prior to the merger, Macy’s had neither. But as a result of the acquisition, which was consummated last month, Macy’s has said it will grow next year to 730 units occupying almost every major U.S. market.
Macy’s wasted no time in introducing its first national ad campaign, which encompasses print, television, outdoor and in-store. “This introduces a new creative direction for Macy’s,” said Joe Feczko, executive vice president and chief creative officer of Macy’s corporate marketing, noting that it is Macy’s first fashion ad campaign since parent Federated merged with May.
The ads feature fall styles worn by animated young models, including Trish Goff, and are meant to depict crisp fashion while conveying a sense of fun and playfulness. In one ad, a model is blowing a bubble that’s about to burst. In another ad, a model does a high kick. A third shows a model laughing as her hair billows in the wind.
Macy’s consumer research led to the idea of an upbeat, optimistic campaign and the tag line, “What Makes You Happy.”
Eight-page sections will appear in Vogue, In Style and Glamour. “It’s a fully integrated campaign, from magazines to direct mail to TV and outdoor and in-store advertising,” said Feczko.
Peggy Sirota, a photographer who specializes in fashion and celebrities — her work has appeared in Vogue, Glamour, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and The New York Times magazine — shot the campaign. “Peggy was always my first choice,” said Feczko. “I worked with her at Neiman Marcus and a few other campaigns. Her attitude and talent were perfect.”
Now that Macy’s has gotten a taste of national advertising, the company plans to continue to raise its fashion profile on a broad scale. “We think these types of campaigns are important for Macy’s,” Feczko said, noting that Sirota has already shot the company’s holiday advertising effort and will be invited back for spring.
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“We developed a back-to-school campaign with inserts in national magazines,” he added. “We also created a denim auction on thisisit.com, where one-of-a-kind jeans are auctioned off for charity. More and more, you’ll see us developing these kinds of fashion ideas.”