Bloomingdale’s Goes to ‘Heart’ of the Matter in Spring Campaign

A LOVE STORY: Bloomingdale’s has called on New Yorkers Sarah Jessica Parker, Christy Turlington Burns, Alan Cumming, Yankees’ shortstop Didi Gregorius and Elaine Welteroth to bring the retailer’s spring ad campaign to life. The campaign, called “Heart of N.Y.,” begins April 23 and gathers the stories of these well-known New Yorkers who encapsulate the energy of the city and speaks to the emotional connection people have with Bloomingdale’s. The focus is on the 59th Street flagship.

A large-scale outdoor schedule will include wild postings throughout the city, a subway takeover and wrapped Hamptons Ambassador buses. In addition to a local print campaign, there will be a dedicated microsite with exclusive videos from the cast talking about fashion and shopping. Dedicated windows, visuals, and custom-created shopping bags round out the effort. Wild postings around the city will feature the celebrity and their quote about their connection to Bloomingdale’s. “Everyone there is beautiful, well-lit and smells nice — I wish all of life were like Bloomingdale’s,” said Cumming in his ad.

Frank Berman, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Bloomingdale’s, explained, “There’s been a lot of change going on at 59th Street, really lifting not just the aesthetic, but the service, the assortment, the brand new shoe store is unbelievable, and new Home store and there are still more changes to come.” He said the retailer needed a campaign that not only communicated to its New York customers, but also domestic and international tourists. With a lot of competition from out-of-town retailers that are coming into the market, he said the company wanted to include authentic voices of people who are connected to New York City and to Bloomingdale’s.

“There’s diversity of male and female, ethnicity and careers. They love the city and they really love Bloomingdale’s in an authentic way. We didn’t write those quotes for them,” he said.

He said the campaign connects to the 59th Street flagship, which is the heart of the brand. “Their [the celebrities’] reach extends our campaign further. Having people of this stature talking about how much they love our flagship and the changes that are happening to make it better is always better than us talking about it ourselves,” said Berman.

Asked how he’s getting Millennials into the department store, Berman said, “The challenges for every generation is to be a more interesting store. Everybody is looking for that experiential edge. In the flagship, you really feel the energy and it’s a unique location,” he said, especially pointing to the new shoe floor, which he called, “social Insta-candy.”

While he declined to reveal the spring ad budget, he said, “Our investment for marketing for the 59th Street flagship is definitely a larger investment than the past. The focus on the flagship is much more heightened. We haven’t run a 59th Street campaign in quite some time.” The campaign will continue into the fall season and 2019. New cosmetics and ready-to-wear floors are coming, he said.

Launch Gallery: Bloomingdale’s Sets “Heart of N.Y.” Spring Campaign

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