🔥 How the Macy's Parade became an icon
When you think of Thanksgiving, what comes to mind? Turkey, football… and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
For nearly a ONE HUNDRED YEARS, this parade has been the fodder of our holidays. But it’s not just a festive event—it’s a masterclass in branding that has kept Macy’s top of mind for generations.
Here’s how Macy’s turned a department store marketing initiative into an iconic piece of culture.
It all started with a bold idea
In 1924, Macy’s launched the Thanksgiving Day Parade as a way to draw attention to its flagship store in New York City. (Yes, literally a promo to drive in-store sales can you imagine? What a time to be alive).
The holiday shopping season was a crucial time for retailers, and Macy’s saw an opportunity to associate its name with something bigger than just products—a celebration.
The first parade included employees dressed as clowns, floats, and even live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.
The power of annual tradition
What makes the Macy’s Parade brilliant from a branding perspective is its consistency. Year after year, the parade became a brand signal: Thanksgiving morning isn’t complete without it. By creating a reliable and beloved tradition, Macy’s ensured its name would be top of mind during the most important shopping season of the year.
The parade became the Thanksgiving event, positioning Macy’s as a household name synonymous with holiday joy. It's wild to think how a brand's marketing campaign can become synonymous with our traditions (yeah we'll talk about Coca-Cola's influence on Santa later).
Macy's + Miracle on 34th Street
In 1947, Macy’s branding brilliance hit a new level with the release of Miracle on 34th Street. (RIP Natalie Wood, I know it was not an accident!)
Ahem, anyway. The film, set in Macy’s flagship store, wove the Thanksgiving Day Parade into its storyline, reinforcing the connection between the parade, the holidays, and Macy’s itself. (anyone else swoon over Doris's single mom apartment with 34th street views? 😍)
The movie wasn’t just product placement—it was a cultural moment. Macy’s was selling the idea of their store as the place where Christmas magic happens. It cemented the parade—and the brand—into American holiday traditions.
Evolving while staying on-brand
Over the years, the Macy’s Parade has evolved to include giant character balloons, celebrity performances, and millions of TV viewers. But the core message remains the same: it’s core to our Thanksgiving DNA.
(Even as department stores are dying, the parade remains.)
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade teaches us a few key lessons about branding:
- Go beyond product: The Macy's name is almost an afterthought; experience is first and not a single product mentioned.
- Be consistent: This wouldn't have worked if they only did it sometimes. Every year, same day, bigger than the last.
- Integrate cultural relevancy: By tying the brand to cultural moments with familiar characters and modern day pop culture, Macy’s stays relevant and wins over new demographics (lil bbs) each year.
What other brands come to mind when you think of traditions that transcend products? Let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Ready to build an iconic brand? Apply to be a client. 💪
What to know this week
It's a holiday week so I'm only posting fun easy things:
🍟 Who caught McDonald's in the Thanksgiving Day Parade? They held a live AMA on social underneath their floats. GENIUS.
😥 Do you get the seasonal sads too? Here's a few things I'm doing to fight back this year.
🌯 Chipotle knows its customers steal extra napkins for their cars. Here's their genius response, and its a masterclass in branding.
😂 I want to know: how do you laugh online?
🦃 Thanksgiving is tricky, sometimes filled with a lot of stress, a spectrum of emotions, and a reality that doesn't really match our imaginations. Let's be grateful together that we are on this spinny rock together and cheers to the holidays!
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