Lundgren Wants to Raise Nation’s Macy’s Consciousness
By George Anderson
As an article on the Women’s Wear Daily Web site tells it, one of Terry Lundgren’s goals upon taking over the top job at Federated Department Stores was “to bring the
Macy’s name to the national consciousness.”
With the merger of Federated and May Department Stores, Mr. Lundgren is well on his way to achieving that goal. A truly national network of stores, and an advertising program
to support it give, Mr. Lundgren and company options they did not have prior to the deal for May.
The company’s new ad campaign uses print, television, outdoor and in-store to get out Macy’s new message.
The theme of the new promotion, “What Makes You Happy,” is “a new creative direction for Macy’s,” according to Joe Feczko, executive vice president and chief creative officer
of corporate marketing for the retailer.
WWD reports that the new campaign’s 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.”
Mr. Feczko said that consumers can continue to look for new things from Macy’s such as the auction the company ran on thisisit.com where consumers could purchase one-of-a-kind
jeans with the proceeds going to charity.
“More and more, you’ll see us developing these kinds of fashion ideas,” he said.
Moderator’s Comment: What do you see as the opportunities and challenges Macy’s faces in becoming a truly national department store? –
George Anderson – Moderator
Take Our Instant Poll
Loading ...
Join the Discussion!
7 Comments on "Lundgren Wants to Raise Nation’s Macy’s Consciousness"
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Touching on DD’s comments, I too see a fundamental contradiction here: on the one hand, we have all the (presumed) advantages that size brings – economies of scale, leverage, etc.; while on the other hand, we have the complaint that department stores are “boring, generic,” etc…. But is not the latter the end result of the former ?
There’s also a fallacy of composition: Macy’s name meant something because it was synonymous w/the glamour and excitement of New York (even if the store itself actually catered to the middle-class); in short, it had cachet because of that association… it will have little if it’s ubiquitous. Hopefully Field’s can retain its identity and serve as a laboratory.
Ultimately, of course, Federated will succeed only if the shopping experience validates the expectation that an ad creates.
Mark’s ad excerpt is hilarious and painful at the same time! Macy’s Herald Square creates so much buzz and is a destination for tourists from all over the world. They might want to consider opening one or two more flagship stores. . .say one on the west coast and one in Dallas? Keep store events and retailtainment going in those locations to create buzz around the brand and encourage destination shopping that will spread the word to other parts of the country.
It’s tough being a mainstream department store chain in this day and age, what with discounters on one flank and specialty chains on the other. It’s also tough building a national brand in any day and age. Macy’s is pursuing both goals at once, and it has a lot going in its favor – including unprecedented scale and uncommon leadership.
We admire Mr. Lundgren very much here at the University of Arizona, where he has been a generous benefactor. I believe he has a coherent vision for the newly-merged Macy’s that will deliver positive results. For the first time, we have a department store entity, under one banner, with sufficient scale to attend to both operational and merchandising excellence.
The branding campaign is a beginning, but Macy’s won’t win on style alone. The proof will be in the substance – well managed business practices that support superior merchandising, service quality and value.
The advertising campaign title is “on target,” but we don’t know if that means only new fashions and products all the time; or a superior consumer shopping experience; and / or pre-showing to the top shoppers; or valet service, etc.
The point is, Macy’s must be more than a fashion and up-to-date department chain that is abreast of the trends and what the shoppers are looking for. Macy’s must deliver on the shopping experience, and true service level within the store, like Nordstrom.
I don’t want to look for a sales associate, I want the associate to come up to me, and say “have you seen our new line of whatever.” Or “today, we are showing our line worn by me and other associates.”
Consumers are being very picky, and are spending where they receive the personalized service touch. Hmmmmmmm