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BUSINESS
Macy's to debut new lineup of celebrity ads
CINCINNATI -- Macy's Inc. is adding extra star power -- and some Spanish -- to its celebrity advertising amid a bleak economic environment.market.
Macy's has brushed up its spring campaign with two new ads and its first celebrity ad in Spanish.
The Cincinnati-based retailer plans to debut the Spanish version of the spot featuring guitarist Carlos Santana and R&B singer Mariah Carey on Sunday, with the English version of that and another ad with Calvin Klein model Gabriel Aubry rolling out in network primetime next week. Those new stars for the national TV ads will be joined by domestic entrepreneur Martha Stewart and tycoon Donald Trump, holdovers from Macy's earlier celebrity campaign.
The national retailer started airing its first star-packed ads last fall to fight disappointing sales and lingering resistance to its takeover of local department stores absorbed in its 2005 acquisition of May Department Stores Co. Those ads were generally seen as a positive move by analysts who didn't think the retailer's earlier national advertising was effective.
"I think the celebrity ad campaign has been much better at getting across the message of why people should shop at Macy's, and they have had some amazingly memorable ads," said retail analyst Patricia Edwards, of Wentworth, Hauser and Violich. "But Macy's will need to keep them fresh if they continue, while also relaying the value their branded merchandise offers shoppers."
The new ads are fashioned with the same whimsical slant of the early ads. They again show celebrities primping their designer lines as if in preparation for customers, while gently poking fun at their public images.
"They are going to be very similar, but with a few less celebrities so we can really highlight the brands, especially some that customers may not know we have," said Martine Reardon, Macy's executive vice president of corporate marketing.
"People are very conscious of their pennies now, but when they are ready to spend their money, I think their recall of these brand spots will put us at the top of their list," Reardon said.
In one ad, Santana is playing his guitar while talking with Carey about how shoes inspire beautiful music. He plays music inspired by the stilettos in his line of shoes at Macy's, then another short burst of soul music illustrating Carey's designer fragrance, while she hums along.
In the other ad, Aubry draws the attention of every female as he moves through the store. Martha Stewart, readying her own department, drops a plate upon seeing him. Carey follows Aubry with her eyes as he proceeds past her fragrance counter to the Calvin Klein section, where he looks up to find a horde of admiring females staring at him.
