NEW YORK – Christmas is rolling in like a blizzard, due in large part to brands and early marketing. One early ad out of BBDO New York for Macy’s helps set the tone for the holiday season, and sets the stage for the store’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Believe in the Wonder of Giving” takes us out to space for a truly unique gift exchange and gives us a healthy dose of women empowerment to boot.
The scenario is a classic holiday tear-jerker – mom can’t be with her daughter for the holidays, but this one’s got a twist. Mom’s an astronaut, out of orbit. As the spot evolves, glimpses of the space station and Earth, clear, vibrant and majestic as ever, are intercut with video calls back home. The stark difference between the shots helps emphasize the physical distance between mom and family, and adds warmth to their conversations. Thankfully, daughter has sent mom out to space with ‘Sonny’, an oddly constructed, but nonetheless charming snowman-esque companion. Come Christmas Day, we learn that Sonny is actually a gift, and inside is a snowglobe and bits of Styrofoam, which float out into the space station like snow. No doubt, Sonny wouldn’t pass NASA regulations in real life, but Christmas is all about magic, right?
The spot, which is out early to promote Macy’s myriad holiday promotions, also serves as a pre-cursor to the flagship store’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade. Macy’s is offering some high-tech solutions this year, like the AR/VR “See Your Space IRL” which permits customers to virtually test out furniture in their home, and is hitting social media hard this year. An activation on Pinterest set to begin later this month, Macy’s 360 Globe, will give customers a peek at what it’s like to be inside a miniature snow globe, just like the one in the Space Station spot. While the ad serves as a promotion for Macy’s holiday offerings, BBDO New York is subtly pushing something bigger. By featuring a woman astronaut, the agency is pushing the idea of women working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, without making too big of a deal out of it. A heartwarming holiday spot to cap off the year, and a woman astronaut to round out the year of the women.
