NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Macy’s (NYSE:M) 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 Dec. 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 Nov. 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 e-mail 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 City, with the online auction beginning Nov. 8 at macys.com/trees.
One hundred percent of the funds raised in the tree auction will benefit
the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“Believe” Fan of the Week
New this season, fans that “like”
Macy's on Facebook can upload the Macy’s Believe-o-Magic image taken at
the in-store Believe Station to Macy’s Facebook wall. Each week, fans
will have a chance to “like” their favorites and the fan with the most
votes will be featured as Macy’s Facebook profile picture! (Rules apply,
please see facebook.com/macys for details.)
Macy’s National Santa Tour with Holiday Happiness Provided by Aflac
(Kicks off Nov. 26)
Now in its third year, Macy’s famous Santa
will embark on his popular whirlwind American tour. Aflac will partner
with Macy’s to bring holiday happiness to boys and girls in 26 cities
across the United States through Dec. 21, when Santa’s National Tour
gives children the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the man
himself. Visit macys.com/believe
(site goes live Nov. 6) for scheduled stops and to track Santa’s latest
location.
National Believe Day (Dec. 9)
On Friday, Dec.
9, Macy’s will again celebrate National Believe Day to honor the spirit
of the season and inspire kindness and generosity from coast-to-coast.
The special day will again focus on the season’s message of humanity and
charity toward others. As National Believe Day approaches, more details
will be released on this year’s effort.
“Yes, Virginia” Animated Special (Dec. 9)
Back by popular
demand, CBS will re-air the original animated special, “Yes, Virginia.”
Building on the story of 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s letter to the
editor of the New York Sun in 1897, the holiday special takes us
on a charming adventure about the existence of Santa Claus and the
curiosity amongst believers. During the creation of “Yes, Virginia,” a
special wish was fulfilled for then 11-year-old wish kid Taylor Hay –
whose voice and likeness were captured for one of the characters. The
half-hour holiday program will air on CBS on National Believe Day,
Friday, Dec. 9, at 9 p.m. ET. Featuring an all-star cast of voices
including Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alfred Molina and
Beatrice Miller in the title role, “Yes, Virginia” was created and
produced by Macy's and JWT in conjunction with The Ebeling Group and MEC
Entertainment, a division of Mediaedge:cia.
“Yes, Virginia” Merchandise
First a popular animated special
on CBS, now “Yes, Virginia” is available as a DVD and book that families
can share throughout the holiday season and entire year. Plus, each sale
of the “Yes, Virginia” book and DVD at Macy’s helps spread kindness,
with a donation of 10 percent of the purchase price to the Make-A-Wish
Foundation. “Yes, Virginia” fans can also purchase holiday ornaments and
a snow globe exclusively at Macy’s and macys.com, all inspired by
the original story that continues to make a believer of everyone!
Virginia Balloon
Taking her second stroll down the Macy's
Thanksgiving Day Parade® route this year is the little girl
who taught everybody to believe! Modeled after the animated version of
8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, Virginia had such a wonderful time last
year that she’s back for a second flight!
macys.com/believe (Site is live on Nov. 6)
- Believe Activity Guide (in English or Spanish) – Macy’s and the Make-A-Wish Foundation will again share a downloadable online toolkit to facilitate interest from teachers and schools that would like to use Believe as a writing lesson or activity during the holiday season. The toolkit, which includes an updated letter-writing template to allow for more interactivity and design, coloring sheet and “I Believe” bookmark cut-out, can be found at macys.com/believe. The letters can then be printed and mailed at Macy’s.
The Believe campaign is rooted in a letter to the editor of the New York Sun written by 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon in 1897 asking if there is a Santa Claus. New York Sun newsman Francis P. Church responded with a poignantly worded essay on the importance of believing, including the famous line “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist…”
The Believe campaign launches on Nov. 6 and runs through Dec. 24. For believers who want to help make a difference, just look for the “Believe Stations” in every store, Believe Meter, letter-writing desk and an official R.H. Macy’s Santa Mail letterbox.
Editor’s Note: For Macy’s “Believe” campaign media materials, including images, please visit: magicbulletmedia.com/MNR/MacysBelieve. For more information about Macy’s Believe campaign and National Believe Day, visit macys.com/believe.
Cities for Macy’s Santa Tour (not in date order)
Ann Arbor, MI
Bangor, ME
Baton Rouge, LA
Boise, ID
Colorado
Springs, CO
Columbia, SC
Daly City, CA
El Paso, TX
Erie,
PA
Eugene, OR
Ft. Wayne, IN
Houston, TX
Las Vegas, NV
Manchester,
NH
Nashville, TN
North Olmsted, OH
Pittsfield, MA
Rancho
Cucamonga, CA
Sacramento, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
Savannah,
GA
South Park, VA
Spokane, WA
Towson, MD
Waterbury,
CT
West Palm Beach, FL
About Macy’s
Macy's, the largest retail brand of Macy's,
Inc., delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at more than
800 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and
Guam. Macy's stores and macys.com offer distinctive assortments
including the most desired family of exclusive and fashion brands for
him, her and home. Macy's is known for such epic events as Macy's 4th of
July Fireworks® and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®,
as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows and
celebrity appearances. Building on a 150-year tradition, Macy's helps
strengthen communities by supporting local and national charities that
make a difference in the lives of our customers.
About the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation
grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions
to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in
1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his
dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is one of the world’s
leading children’s charities, with 62 chapters in the United States and
its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000
volunteers in the United States, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a
wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the
United States since its inception. Visit wish.org
and discover how you can share the power of a wish®
through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
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