ANNUAL CAMPAIGN INVITES BELIEVERS TO MAIL THEIR LETTERS TO SANTA TO BENEFIT MAKE-A-WISH® AND BRINGS THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON TO STAGES, TELEVISION SCREENS AND COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE
THROUGH DECEMBER 7, CUSTOMERS WHO POST A PHOTO OR VIDEO FROM MACY’S BELIEVE STATION IN-STORE USING #MACYSBELIEVE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO BE INCLUDED IN A MACY’S TELEVISION COMMERCIAL
The holidays are a time for giving, and Macy’s is again offering its customers a chance to unite in the season’s spirit of generosity through its annual Believe campaign benefiting Make-A-Wish. Beginning today, kids of all ages can drop their stamped letters, addressed to Santa at The North Pole, in the Santa Mail letterbox at their local Macy’s. For each letter received through Dec. 24, Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, up to $1 million, to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Now celebrating its sixth season, Believe has become Macy’s signature holiday program, garnering support and participation from customers from coast-to-coast and resulting in more than $6.5 million in donations to Make-A-Wish.
Make-A-Wish® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true can have positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illnesses, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 38 minutes. It has granted more than 226,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; nearly 14,000 in 2012 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org to learn more.
New this season, customers who share a photo or video of their moment mailing a letter to Santa at Macy’s Believe Station to Instagram, Twitter or Vine using #MacysBelieve will be considered for the opportunity to be in a Macy’s television commercial airing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In addition, “Believers” can join in the spirit of the holidays through other Believe elements, including a school musical program, a nationally televised animated special, activity guides for teachers and the return of the fifth annual National Believe Day.
“Macy’s Believe campaign, benefiting Make-A-Wish, has surpassed our expectations ever since we introduced the program six years ago,” said Martine Reardon, chief marketing officer for Macy’s. “Year after year, we are astounded by the outpouring of support our customers show for this campaign as our Santa Mail letterboxes overflow with letters. Families, schools and community organizations rally to write letters, bringing the campaign’s message of giving to life.”
The inspiration for Macy’s Believe Campaign was the heartwarming true story of 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897 asking if there really was a Santa Claus. The paper’s editor, Francis P. Church, responded with what has become the most reprinted editorial ever to run in any newspaper in the English language stating, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist …” More than 115 years after that famous essay was penned, Church’s words still resonate and remind us all to believe in the power of childhood wonder, hope and generosity – cornerstones of the Believe campaign.
Key elements from the 2013 Macy’s Believe campaign will include:
#MacysBelieve Television Commercial
Now through Dec. 7, Macy’s is inviting all “Believers” to share a photo or video of the special moment they mail their letter in Macy’s Santa Mail letterbox in-store via Instagram, Twitter or Vine. By including #MacysBelieve, posts will be considered for inclusion in a national, crowd-sourced television commercial airing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The selected elements will be edited into a video montage that will feature magical moments from customers across the country. Continue reading