Mobilized Marketing: How to Drive Sales, Engagement, and Loyalty Through Mobile Devices

Chapter 26

Other Brands Produce Notable Campaigns

Macy’s: Mobile as the Ticket to Backstage

As Patrick Flanagan of Simon Malls explained earlier in the book, mobile provides a unique and mostly untapped avenue to engage shoppers at the point of sale.

There is more than a bit of irony in the fact that arguably the most innovative retailer when it comes to mobile is Hipcricket client Macy’s, the venerable department store that first opened its doors in 1858.

For several years, Macy’s has used mobile to make its advertising interactive and to grow its database.

In early 2011, Macy’s developed a differentiating in-store program called Backstage Pass that gave shoppers access to 30-second videos that provided fashion tips and a behind-the-scenes look at clothes from Bobbi Brown, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Greg Norman for Tasso Elba, Rachel Roy, Irina Shabayeva for I.N.C., and Martha Stewart.

Later that year, the program went mainstream with a Macy’s Backstage Pass television spot that showed how quick response (QR) codes work and offered customers the chance to win Macy’s shopping sprees. Starring Combs, Hilfiger, Roy, Jessica Simpson, and Stewart, the 30-second spot aired nationwide.

Key Takeaways

• The program was truly multichannel with Macy’s giving shoppers the choice of interacting via short message service (SMS), multimedia messaging (MMS), QR code, and the mobile Web.
• Star power brought more attention to the campaign and further educated the public on how ...