NBC Stars Pose for Bloomingdale's -- and for You
Bloomingdale's is seeing stars.
In what it's calling an unprecedented partnership, the tony department-store division of Macy's (M) is teaming up with NBC on a cross-marketing campaign that includes in-store, digital and print initiatives.
As part of the campaign -- which invites shoppers to "look the part and be the part" -- stars of NBC's new fall shows will be featured in Bloomingdale's glossy fall women's, men's and home catalogs. These include Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph, who are starring in "Up All Night"; Eddie Cibrian and Amber Heard from "The Playboy Club"; and Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn, performing in "Free Agents."
Red-Carpet Pictures with Virtual Stars
But the fun doesn't stop there: Bloomingdale's has cooked up an in-store and interactive digital experience whereby shoppers can walk the red carpet, and -- through the magic of technology -- get photographed with NBC's new stars.
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Here's how it works: From Sept. 8 to Sept. 25, shoppers will be able to walk down a digital red carpet -- in designated areas of some Bloomingdale's stores -- via a new app called GoldRun. Shoppers will be able to download characters from the NBC shows to their Apple (AAPL) iPad 2, iPhone 3G or iPhone 4, and take a photo with the virtual characters.
The co-branding initiatives extend to the social-networking community, too. On Bloomingdale's and NBC's Facebook pages, as well as on their websites, fans can view vignettes, including interviews with the shows' stars discussing how fashion helps shape their characters and behind-the-scenes footage on the series' style aesthetic.
Bloomingdale's also will weave the NBC shows and stars into the fashion stories in its fall catalogs.
For one, Cibrian of "The Playboy Club" will grace the cover of the retailer's Best of Men's catalog -- shot partly at The Playboy Club in Las Vegas -- while Heard will be featured in a center spread, shot by celebrity photographer Peggy Sirota.
Can NBC Give Bloomingdale's an Edge?
It's all part of Bloomingdale's push to enhance its image as a edgy fashion merchant in the digital era.
"Bloomingdale's customers have a style and a confidence that is always ahead of the curve on what's new and what's next in fashion and culture," Frank Berman, senior vice president of marketing, tells DailyFinance. "And we enjoy giving them exclusive access and a first look at newness whenever and wherever we can.
"With NBC, we have created a diverse, multichannel campaign that lets our customers look inside the new fashion shows and interact with the stars in new, unexpected and engaging ways, which we feel will make shopping at Bloomingdale's this fall especially entertaining."
The campaign coincides with the highly anticipated designer runway shows during Fashion Week in New York next month.
Beginning on Fashion's Night Out, the Sept. 8 kickoff to Fashion Week, the windows of Bloomingdale's 59th street flagship store in New York City -- along with most of the other stores in the 41-store chain -- will be decked out with elaborate sets meshing NBC's shows with fall fashion.
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