And Apple Pie, Too?

Macy’s (Cincinnati) has pulled out all the Americana stops during its summer American Icons Campaign. The celebration is taking place in stores, on macys.com and in communities across the country with American-inspired merchandise, in-store and community events and interactive digital content.

The theme is carried out through all store windows as well as interior visuals, in addition to exterior flags and banners. “In Herald Square and other flagships, we took an artistic approach to the subject matter using materials that represent the heart of America, such as the steel girders and metals our buildings are made of and [automobile] license plates from across the country,” reports Paul Olszewski, Macy’s director, windows and interior flagship marketing.

Store designers used the license plates strategically by color to create American flags as well as faux worn girders and diamond sheet metal to create another interpretation of the flag. They also used scrap metals to re-imagine such American icons as the Statue of Liberty and the bald eagle. “These [visual] statements were designed to drive home the message of the campaign and create an even stronger environment for the American icon merchandise they showcased,” Olszewski says.