Macy's today announced the launch of "Believe," the retailer's annual national holiday effort to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Building on the campaign's unprecedented success collecting more than four million letters in the first three years, Macy's will again ask customers to mail their letters to Santa at Macy's to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. New this year, customers mailing their letters at Macy's "Believe Stations" in store can take photos with the campaign's animated stars Virginia, Ollie and their friends through the magic of Macy's and augmented reality technology. Additional efforts include Macy's Celebrity Tree Auction to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, sending Santa on the road for the National Santa Tour and celebrating the campaign's annual National Believe Day on December 9. Macy's "Believe" campaign kicks off the first Sunday in November.
The nostalgic holiday campaign is inspired by the New York Sun's famous "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial from 1897. Starting November 6, Macy's stores across the country will feature letter-writing "Believe Stations" and Santa Mail letterboxes for believers of all ages to write and drop off letters - stamped and addressed to Santa At The North Pole. For each letter received, Macy's will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $1 million, to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
"Macy's ‘Believe' campaign has become a beloved holiday tradition for our customers nationwide," said Martine Reardon, Macy's executive vice president of marketing. "With their help, we collected more than a million letters last year and donated more than a million dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year, we hope to inspire even more goodwill and generosity by building on traditions we've created in previous seasons and introducing exciting new elements that will make believing all the more fun and interactive for our customers and their families."
"Macy's and its customers play an important role in helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation grant wishes that make lives better for wish kids, families, and communities across the country," said David Williams, president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. "Every year, the Macy's ‘Believe' campaign offers an assortment of ways for people to celebrate the holidays, give to loved ones, and help create life-changing experiences for kids with life-threatening medical conditions in their communities."
"Believe" elements this year include:
"Macy's Believe-o-Magic" Augmented Reality Technology (In store Nov. 6)
For the first time, customers mailing their letters at "Believe Stations" in Macy's stores will have an opportunity to take a photo with the campaign's animated stars Virginia and Ollie from the animated holiday special "Yes, Virginia." Using new augmented reality technology, customers with IOS and select Android smartphones can download the "Macy's Believe-o-Magic" application that allows them to unlock the magic to see and interact with Virginia, Ollie and their friends. Customers can step in the frame and take a photo, which can also be uploaded into a holiday card template to share via email or Facebook. Customers can also preview the magic at home by downloading the application and printing out the marker. When they point "Macy's Believe-o-Magic" camera at the marker, they can see an animated Virginia Ice skating right in their homes! "Macy's Believe-o-Magic" app was created and produced by Macy's and JWT in conjunction with Metaio GmbH and The Ebeling Group.
Celebrity Ornament Collection and Tree Auction (Begins Nov. 8)
Macy's stars - including Calvin Klein, Martha Stewart, Jessica Simpson, Michael Kors, Donald Trump, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Rachel Roy, Material Girl, Kenneth Cole, Sean John, Betsey Johnson, Emeril Lagasse and Greg Norman - have collaborated to create special gift items just in time for the holiday season. The Celebrity Ornament Collection features 14 unique and exclusive celebrity-inspired ornaments that retail for $9.99 each, with 10 percent of the purchase price benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Macy's has teamed up with leading charity auction website charitybuzz.com to launch a Celebrity Tree Auction, featuring a one-of-a-kind Christmas tree from each of Macy's stars that collaborated on the Celebrity Ornament Collection. All 14 trees will be on display at Macy's Herald Square in New York, with the online auction beginning November 8 at macys.com/trees. One hundred percent of the funds raised in the tree auction will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
