Digital Marketing at Macy’s
Macy’s, one of the nation’s oldest retailers, is one of the leading marketing organizations when it comes to digital, social and mobile technology. The New York-based department store chain is using technology to connect with consumers on a local and national level. The strategy began with the My Macy’s program in 2009 which gave local executives more power following the rebranding of hundreds of department stores under the Macy’s name. The effort to think locally while maintaining a national brand, a challenge for many organizations across the world, pushed marketers at Macy’s to use technology to more effectively reach consumers.
For example, during the Kentucky Derby, Macy’s used social media and geo-targeted emails and push notifications to encourage Kentucky-area shoppers to try the store’s collection of Derby hats. That messaging wasn’t used for the flagship Herald Square location in Manhattan.
Social media reaches across all of Macy’s touchpoints. It’s used to offer everything from sneak peeks of new collections to promote sales. The brand’s latest social effort, called “American Icons,” kicks off this week. The program encourages fans to share photos of what America means to them for a chance to be included in the national broadcast of the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks.
As mobile devices become more entwined in our daily lives, the department store chain is also expanding its mobile presence. The Macy’s app, which launched six years ago, has evolved into a personal shopping assistant. It helps shoppers navigate the store, find additional sizes, colors and related items.
Macy’s has put its media muscle behind the app through national promotions including a contest that encouraged shoppers to download the app, and by putting it front and center during major shopping periods like the holiday season. Macy’s also has an app for its Thanksgiving Day Parade, which helps spectators find their way around the parade route and get behind-the-scenes news and information on the event. It will be interesting to see how other established retailers integrate social media as part of their overall marketing strategy.
Source: Ashley Rodriguez. “Macy’s Embraces a Digical World” Advertising Age, May 13, 2015.
Discussion Questions:
1.How can Macy’s social media marketing strategy add to the firm’s brand equity?
2.What metrics would you use to measure Macy’s success with their social media marketing strategy?
