Bloomingdales Case Study

Bloomingdales has been an iconic retailer for the since its inception in 1861. Their recent 100% Bloomingdales campaign is a collaboration between Fashion Directors and 100 designers to provide 1000 exclusive pieces for Bloomindale shoppers. This campaign is incredibly successful in meeting the high standards the brand is famous for while seamlessly integrating into the new omnipresent marketplace that the fashion industry is evolving into. The campaign is fun, targeting a new and younger demographic that translates into multiple platforms and tells the consumer that Bloomingdales is a one stop shop for limited edition high end pieces.
Millennials today have more options than ever. With fast fashion brands like Zara, H&M and Asos having attractive and affordable price points on thousands of pieces, Bloomingdales not only has to compete in having the right items but they must also answer the question “Why should millennials pay more for a style they can find at a fast fashion retailer?” The phrase “100% Bloomingdales” has a directness to it, inferring that a customer can get a polished look from one iconic store. They have been able to maintain the integrity of their price points of higher end items; it lets consumers know that they can complete their complete look in one place. It encourages millennials that its not just
about having high end brands, but that the consumer bought it all at Bloomingdales.
The consumer is not just buying the product that they can find in another venue.
These collections are a collaboration between brand and buyer while speaking to the millennial consumer’s need to be unique. Criticized for being the generation of participation awards and hyper aware sense of uniqueness, millennials desperately want to be special and different. Bloomingdales understands this desire and is capitalizing on it. This commercial uniqueness speaks to the new “sharing economy” that millennials participate in by having designers collaborate with the Bloomingdales team, and as a result the products seem curated specifically to
millennials.
The collaborative, youthful energy that the campaign has can be largely contributed to their use of emojis and social media. Refusing to be limited to 26 letters, Bloomingdales uses their unique “bloomoticons” in place of entire word. Bloomoticons (available as a free download) create a sense of youth and seamlessly speak in the modern vernacular while simultaneously communicating concisely in 140 characters or less.
Bloomingdales has also used social media in more creative ways. In September 2016, they launched an Instagram contest, encouraging consumers to visit a micro-site on their mobile device to type any word and have that word appear in the Bloomingdales typeface used in the campaign. They then post that image to Instagram with specific filters and are entered in a sweepstakes to win a 1000$ gift card. Along with the Instagram contest, Bloomingdales implemented Snapchat geo-filters in stores during Labour Day weekend as a pseudo scavenger hunt (similar to the Pokémon Go phenomenon). These snap chat filters allow Bloomingdales to not just speak to the person applying the filter, but also to that customer’s followers.
Bloomingdales has successfully tapped into a new demographic of shopper in a way that is creative and regenerative. They set themselves apart from other department stores with the consumers of the future, introducing them to high end product in a fun and unique way. Their marketing strategy could create a lasting bond with millennials ensures future purchases and potential life long clients. This re-inventive nature solidifies Bloomingdales stake in the marketplace and keeping it from feeling stodgy and ensure years of future business.