Macy's Goes Online With Fashion Advice

The venerable brand Macy's is making a full-on digital push. Recent research has indicated that its consumers want more than just fashion advice – they want “put it all together” tips. How, for example, to create the right outfit for the daily challenges life serves up – “fashion editing” is the consumer’s latest desire. Macy’s is executing this new strategy two ways: in-store, with mannequins, and online, with celeb webisodes.

“You’ll see a lot of it in store. You’ll see a lot of new mannequins present – mannequins that show you an entire look, tables that show the accessories that go with a certain outfit. It’s not just about an outfit anymore – it’s about the handbag, the hat and the accessories that go with it,” said Martine Reardon, EVP, Marketing, Macy’s.

The brand's new website, actually a microsite, is called Fashion Director. “We came up with the idea of the fashion challenge from paper dolls – how you could put together one look for them and, how, if you just changed the top or bottom, it’d create a new look…We shot all of our hot trends this season, and there are over 400 items on that site. It’s the most important fashion trends. We call them our “Hot List” items,” continues Reardon.

Slightly tongue-in-cheek, the webisodes feature the likes of Martha Stewart, Donald Trump, and Rachel Ray, taking on the task of putting an outfit together and accessorizing. A daily challenge is offered to online viewers, who sumbit their ideas, and the winner receives a $500 gift card. Example: What to wear for coffee with an ex-boyfriend you’ve not seen for two years.

Mockumentary in style, each episode pairs a celeb with a scenario such as: Trump gives sartorial counsel to a little boy with a lemonade stand; Rachel suggests appropriate bowling couture for three young women; and Martha comes to the aid of a Frat House prepping for Parent’s Week.

The target demo? Women between 25 and 49. Macy’s research has confirmed that online is the place to best serve its key cohort. Previous celebrity branded spots on television have now evolved to a few TV spots supporting a full-on digital campaign, a fashion first for the giant retailer founded in 1858.

Famous for many things besides fashion, like “Miracle on 34th Street,” or the iconic phrase, “Does Macy’s tell Gimbels?” – the brand now adds to that list the moniker of mockumentary fashion editor.