New marketing campaign harkens back to heritage

NEW YORK —Sears hopes that through its new integrated marketing campaign, it will be able to begin a new chapter in its retailing history, as a destination for consumers to buy anything and everything for their home. Sears Holdings chief marketing officer Maureen McGuire unveiled the department store’s latest advertising campaign, which she pointed to as an indicator of the company’s commitment to “becoming a 21st century retailer” to press in Manhattan earlier this month.

“We know through our customer research that customers know Sears and that there is a lot of goodwill towards the brand,” McGuire said. “But for whatever reason, some customers don’t shop the brand anymore… We want to reattach customers to the brand and have loyal customers shop across departments in our stores.”

The company’s new campaign—with the tagline “Sears. Where It Begins,”—plays off of Sears’ heritage as a catalog retailer, by featuring a modernized concept called the “Sears Book.” The Book is used throughout the campaign, as Sears’ store circulars, on its Web site and through its television advertisements.

“We want customers to remember how exciting it was when they used to earmark pages of things they wanted when the Sears catalogue would land on their doorstep,” McGuire said.

But the campaign should not be looked upon as too nostalgic, she noted. Although Sears plays upon its heritage in the new campaign, the company has been careful to use upbeat, cheerful music and modern lifestyle vignettes in each of its new television advertisements, which began running May 6 with Mother’s Day ads. These segments are meant to make an “emotional connection” with the consumer, rather than be too promotional, McGuire said.

“We are beginning again, and we want to let the customer know we have something for every life situation and stage,” McGuire said.

The new “Begins” campaign is a departure from Sears’ previous marketing efforts, where handyman spokesmen like host of “Extreme Home Makeover,” Ty Pennington, and Bob Vila have made prominent appearances. Instead, in the Begins campaign, one commercial spot shows how Sears merchandise plays a part in the major life events of a couple, from jewelry gifts for her when they first begin to date, to outfitting their first house with appliances and even providing clothes for their first-born child.

“Our customers are busy, practical people who attach a great deal of importance to their homes and the time they spend there with their families,” McGuire said. “The new campaign shows how shopping at today’s Sears can inspire them to imagine and fulfill new possibilities for every chapter in their lives.”

McGuire did not give any kind of indication on how much money the company is spending on the campaign; she only said that the money and effort put into the campaign was significant. However, Sears spent nearly $525 million last year on advertising costs, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Sears traditionally has had a larger marketing spend than some other big-box retailers have, and it is an area where spending has been slashed since chairman Eddie Lampert’s takeover.

During Sears’ shareholders meeting, McGuire also shared a new marketing campaign strategy for Kmart going forward, which similarly delves into the discount retailer’s past. Kmart will resurrect its “blue-light special,” turning the famous tagline into a talking blue light bulb named “Mr. Blue Light.” The bulb advises shoppers to “turn on” to something new.

“We see Sears and Kmart as two distinctive brands,” McGuire said at the shareholders meeting. “Kmart’s focus will be far more promotional and fun-natured in its campaign.”

McGuire noted that Mr. Blue Light will have his own blog, which will draw attention to specific merchandise in stores.