This case study analyzes the advertising effectiveness of Macy's holiday campaigns in 2011 and 2012, revealing that their 2011 'screamer' ad featuring Justin Bieber was significantly more positively received than the 2012 'what's in store' campaign, which suffered due to negative sentiment linked to Donald Trump. The 2011 campaign led to a 4.8% sales increase, while the 2012 campaign resulted in a 0.7% sales decline, with 36% of conversation expressing a desire to disengage from the brand due to the campaign's controversies. Key takeaways highlight the importance of celebrity alignment and public sentiment in advertising strategies.

1. CASE STUDY: ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS
RETAILER: Macy’s
BUSINESS
QUESTION: How can we craft the most effective holiday campaign?
METHOD: Develop a framework for measuring advertising effectiveness by
analyzing the online conversations surrounding Macy’s major ad
campaigns during the 2011 and 2012 holiday season:
1 2
AD APPRAISAL: AD APPRAISAL:
MACY’S HOLIDAY 2011 MACY’S HOLIDAY 2012 PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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2. AD APPRAISAL: MACY’S HOLIDAY 2011
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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3. AD APPRAISAL: MACY’S HOLIDAY 2011
Macy’s: “Screamer” (Justin Bieber) Campaign
Description: Featured Justin Bieber in TV spot promoting Black Friday FINDINGS:
sale and JB merchandise to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation • Reactions were overwhelmingly positive
Creative Tactic: Align with a trendy personality in social media and pop (95%), driven by emotional appeal;
culture; parodic tone
specifically an appeal to humor
Volume: 18,387 Relevant Posts
• In addition, praise of Justin Bieber’s
! character choice was second largest driver
of sentiment (25%)
• Missed Opportunity
• Macy’s dedicated six (6) seconds to
promote JB gift set and Make-A-Wish;
there was no measurable conversation
about this offer
Macy’s Nov. 2011 same-store sales rose by 4.8%
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
© CRIMSON HEXAGON, INC. 2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

4. AD APPRAISAL: MACY’S HOLIDAY 2012
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
© CRIMSON HEXAGON, INC. 2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

5. AD APPRAISAL: MACY’S HOLIDAY 2012
Macy’s: “What’s in Store” Campaign
Description: Series of sitcom-themed TV spots promoting Black Friday FINDINGS:
sale and letters to Santa to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation • Reactions were very positive (74%), driven
Creative Tactic: Align with several trendy personalities in social media by humor and Justin Bieber’s physical
and pop culture
attractiveness
Volume: 7,506 Relevant Posts
• Despite featuring multiple celebrities,
! Justin Bieber’s character was principal
driver of positive conversation
• Other characters had the effect of diluting
Justin Bieber’s idiosyncratic star power
• In comparison, discussion of 2011
“Screamer” spot had much more favorable
net sentiment and 2.5x more volume
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
© CRIMSON HEXAGON, INC. 2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

6. AD APPRAISAL: MACY’S HOLIDAY 2012
FINDINGS:
• Trump’s character choice was largest
driver of negative sentiment, peaking to
over 96% of conversation six days in a row
• Portrayal perceived as thinly veiled
reference to Trump’s controversial claims
that Obama is a fraud
• This caused a revolt: on Nov. 18, 36% of
the conversation expressed a desire to
disengage from Macy’s—five days before
Black Friday
• Desire to disengage persisted for more
than two (2) weeks after Black Friday
Macy’s Nov. 2012 same-store sales fell by .7%
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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7. AD APPRAISAL: KEY TAKEAWAYS
• JWT New York, Macy’s creative agency of record, altered the creative strategy of the
brand’s holiday ads from 2011 to 2012
• Justin Bieber’s 2011 “Screamer” ad for Macy’s drew overwhelming praise (95%), and
did not produce a desire to disengage with the brand
• The new campaign only included Justin Bieber in some ads; other featured celebrities had the effect of
diluting Justin Bieber’s level of engagement with the audience
• In comparison, the net sentiment around Macy’s 2012 “What’s in Store” campaign was significantly more
unfavorable (74%)
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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8. AD APPRAISAL: KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Donald Trump’s controversial inclusion in Macy’s new campaign distracted from
brand messaging, and even caused a revolt on social media
• On Nov. 18th, 36% of the conversation expressed a desire to disengage from Macy’s—five days before
Black Friday
• SignOn.org hosts a petition with over 678,000 signatures (as of 12/11/12) calling for Macy’s to sever ties
with Trump
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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9. AGENCIES HAVE A POWERFUL WAY TO
DEMONSTRATE TO NEW CLIENTS THAT CAMPAIGNS
RESONATE WITH CONSUMERS: IT’S EASI.
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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10. SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE VALUE MODELS
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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11. CRIMSON HEXAGON
Crimson Hexagon, founded in 2007, is the leading provider of analysis
software that delivers business intelligence from social media data for global
corporations. Powered by patented technology developed at Harvard
University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, the Crimson Hexagon
ForSight™ platform delivers the industry’s most comprehensive Big Data
analysis capabilities for a variety of large-scale data sources. Clients include
leading global organizations such as: Microsoft, Paramount Pictures,
Starbucks, Simon & Schuster, Twitter, The United Nations, and many more.
For more information go to: http://www.crimsonhexagon.com.
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