Macy’s is the latest merchant to launch a contest that will incorporate its Twitter channel. Macy’s will give away one ¼ karat diamond daily from Feb. 1 to Feb. 13 to the person who sent the “sweetest tweet” that includes the hashtag #SweetestTweet, and a three-stone diamond anniversary ring on Feb. 14 to one grand prize winner.
Macy’s public relations director Holly Thomas, who spearheaded the promotion, says the intent wasn’t to highlight its Twitter feed as a communications channel for Macy’s. But she notes that the exposure its Twitter channel will receive as a result will be a benefit.
“We do an annual promotion around Valentine’s Day every year, but this year we’re shifting the focus a bit,” says Thomas, who says the promotions usually revolve around in-store offers such as a gift with purchase. “It’s a quick retail holiday and we felt there were a lot of fun things that could happen around it.”
Macy’s is promoting the contest in direct mail pieces and in-store signage, as well as on its e-commerce, Twitter and Facebook channels. Though this is Macy’s first Twitter-based contest, the merchant did use the medium over the holidays. Macy’s did a road tour with Santa Claus, and Santa tweeted his whereabouts.
Macy’s has used the Twitter channel to promote in-store appearances by its celebrity endorsers and to highlight its cause marketing efforts. But Thomas says it does not use the channel to pitch sale products.
“We want it to be a pure and authentic channel between us and our followers,” Thomas says. “We get a lot of feedback when we talk about the personal appearances and cause-marketing events.