Sears, Roebuck and Co. has started an integrated marketing campaign for the holidays that includes direct mail, e-mail blasts and a three-story snow globe with people living inside that will be unveiled today in Times Square.
The theme is “Wish Big,” and the campaign includes television ads depicting people carrying oversized wrapped presents.
“Sears has a unique opportunity to own Wish Big,” Sears senior vice president/chief marketing officer Joan Chow said in a statement. “From big innovations and big products for the home, to the next big thing in fashion, Sears is the only retailer that can deliver all the biggest items anyone could wish for.”
The TV ads, which began airing Sunday, are set in a magical town where everyone wishes big. Print ads start appearing in national magazines this month. A mall component will include sky murals, dioramas and signs featuring large product photos and the invitation to wish big.
A 34-page, 2.5-by-2.5-inch accordion-style mini-catalog called the Little Big Wish Book will be passed out at holiday events, given to customers at Sears Auto Centers, placed inside packages that are purchased on Sears.com and Landsend.com and included with in-home deliveries.
As of yesterday, visitors to Sears.com are being invited to sign up for WishMail, a daily e-mail program that begins Nov. 27. For 25 days, Sears will send an e-mail daily with a gift idea and a special offer available only to those who sign up for the e-mail.
Sears timed the campaign to coincide with when consumers indicated they begin holiday shopping, according to the company's research. Only 14 percent of respondents said they wait until Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving — to begin shopping, while 36 percent begin before Thanksgiving weekend. The remaining 50 percent start in December.
Chantal Todé covers catalog and retail news and BTB marketing for DM News and DM News.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
