Macys debuts new celebrity ad campaign on the Emmys-by Eli

Last evening, Macys launched their new ad campaign during the Emmy's presentation.

The effort is the most celebrity laden TV commercial ever produced and to my surprise was an effective use of the talents presented.

As opposed to the normal quasi believable celebrity ad endorsements, each high profile individual featured has branded products for sale in Macys.

The ad used star designers and celebrities in a typical Macy's store readying their respective "departments" for business. Celebrities include designers Sean (Diddy) Combs, Jessica Simpson, Martha Stewart, Usher, Donald Trump, Kenneth Cole, Marc Ecko, Kimora Lee Simmons, Russell Simmons, Tommy Hilfiger, Emeril Lagasse, Tyler Florence, and others.

The campaign has a sense of humor showing for example the Donald obsessed with blow drying his hair to perfection then admiring his suit collection and Martha Stewart equally obsessing over her housewares display for what is perceived to be an excessive amount of time before being satisfied.

Macys has been unsuccessful meshing all the regional brands it recently acquired into one national brand primarily because they did not have a compelling, differentiated story to tell consumers. This campaign begins to create a sense of specialness about Macys that may give consumers a better sense of their "reason for being"...brand essence...and help the retailer attract new customers and one's lost during the acquisition period.

The goal seems to be to show they have created a unique destination for a desirable collection of branded products from a good cross-section of "designers" of interest to today's consumers. The ad also infers that possibly some of the products might be exclusive to Macys (always a draw to consumers), although not definitively stating this message.

I believe this is a good start for the beleaguered retailer and will be interested to see how this campaign evolves.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

Comments

[Steven]

These aren't designers. These are celebrities, some of them dubious celebrities at that. Donald Trump suits do not compel me to shop at Macy's. Hart Schaffner Marx suits did compel me to shop at Marshall Field's. Therein lies Macy's problem. It sells celebrity junk, not true American style.