Saks Fifth Ave. taking a new advertising road

Saks Fifth Avenue's latest ad campaign "Want It!" is going for a bigger, bolder approach to reach their target. I'll give you a hint, it starts with a "B." A Billboard? No, a Bus! A double-decker bus with "Want It!" ad images plastered across it will be transporting customers around New York from March 13-15. The ads were created by Dutch graphic artist Piet Paris. They are said to practically be a billboard for New York City and given the recent influx of Europeans looking to take advantage of the tanking value of the U.S. dollar, Saks has decided to embark on several tourist-centric initiatives around the launch of the campaign next month. Here's what senior VP-marketing for Saks, Kimberly Grabel had to say about the new concept:

"[Tourists were] really the trigger to think about the bus concept, because they are the first to hop on the bus and do the tour of New York. So we expect a lot of tourists on the bus."

But they didn't just get the bus rolling, they thought of a few more outlets to reach consumers.

"Our guide will not only be dressed in 'Want It!' fashion, but they'll have a script that includes both the trends of the season as well as a little history of Saks Fifth Avenue," Ms. Grabel added.

I think that Saks is definitely taking advantage of a great opportunity with the amount of European tourists visiting New York City. In my opinion, this new concept for Saks is going to do well because of a few reasons. Not only are they going to stand out from competitors by making the biggest and loudest impression, but they are going to have an advantage of recency by reaching consumers out on tour of the city looking to spend some cash. I believe that tourists and New Yorkers alike will enjoy this bold ambient advertising from Saks. They will be seeing messages but also hearing messages from the tour guides plugging the retailer's high-end fashions. I think that making their advertising into a more interactive experience is a great idea for their target. It is nice to see a strong retailer like Saks Fifth Avenue trying to make a creative impact in a big, cluttered area like New York City.