Neiman Marcus Unveils Christmas Fantasy Gifts and Holiday Campaign – WWD

There’s fantasy, fun and some offbeat takes on Christmas conventions woven into this year’s Neiman Marcus holiday campaign.

The campaign, which debuted Wednesday, is themed “Make the Moment” and in its “360-degree” approach encompasses advertising, in-store visuals, special events, social media, digital content, email, videos and Neiman’s popular Christmas Book catalogue.  

“It’s about bringing your individuality and passions to the holiday season, adding a twist to the traditional, challenging the conventions, and making that moment,” said Darren “Daz” McColl, Neiman’s chief marketing officer, explaining the concept of the campaign.

The campaign features 260 luxury fashion and accessories brands ranging from Saint Laurent to Christian Louboutin, Moncler and Ralph Lauren, as well as holiday decorations and epicure like popcorn and chocolate chip cookies. And then, there are those over-the-top fantasy gifts, in the six- and seven-figure price range, that each year garner plenty of excitement and stir the imagination.

McColl said Make Your Moment is a play off Neiman’s core “Live Your Luxury” positioning launched in the beginning of the fall. “It comes through both through imagery and storytelling. One of the opening stories is ‘All Through the House’ about decorating and preparing for festivities. That’s very much a tradition but we are looking at some twists. For example, we have an amazing connection to Christmas trees, and in one shot, there’s a Christmas tree in the middle of a swimming pool which looks really gorgeous.

“We also have stories around relationships, one with a man and his dog but it’s done from the puppy’s perspective,” McColl said.

The theme of gathering together is also part of the storytelling, but it’s a karaoke gathering, rather than a traditional dinner. “The contrast of things sometimes gives you the chance to bring out the beautiful,” McColl said.

Neiman’s 200-page 2022 Christmas catalogue is bigger than the last two years “because we are coming out of the pandemic,” McColl said. It was shot almost entirely in New York City and upstate New York, in hotels, bars, homes and on street locations. The video series was shot in Los Angeles, California.

Among the eight fantasy gifts, which all include large charitable donations, are:

The campaign gets into some augmented reality. On the front of the holiday catalogue, there is a QR code to open in your smartphone that enables you to take a selfie and have a virtual representation of you on the catalogue cover or have a Neiman Marcus Christmas tree virtually present in your office or at home. The technology also enables you to have a photo of yourself as an ornament on the tree.

In another innovation, Neiman’s is launching ski as a category with a major installation in the NorthPark, Dallas store, one of Neiman’s top locations, and other Neiman’s stores. “We are bringing together both technical ski and apres ski collections,” McColl said.

The other fantasy gifts are: