Macy's to Start New Celebrity Ads

Cincinnati Macy's has brushed up its spring campaign with two new ads and its first celebrity ad in Spanish, according to the Associated Press.

The company plans to debut the Spanish version of the spot featuring guitarist Carlos Santana and R&B singer Mariah Carey on Sunday, with the English version of that and another ad with Calvin Klein model Gabriel Aubry rolling out in network primetime next week.

Martha Stewart and Donald Trump, holdovers from Macy’s earlier celebrity campaign, will join those new stars for the national TV ads.

The company started airing its first star-packed ads last fall to fight disappointing sales and lingering resistance to its takeover of local department stores absorbed in the 2005 acquisition of May Department Stores Co.

Similar to earlier ads, the new ads will show celebrities primping their designer lines as if in preparation for customers, while gently poking fun at their public images.

"They are going to be very similar, but with a few less celebrities so we can really highlight the brands, especially some that customers may not know we have," said Martine Reardon, Macy's executive VP of corporate marketing.