JWT New York Writes a Wish for New Macy's Christmas Campaign

Macy’s eighth annual Believe campaign launches this week with a new film that provides a modern take on the beloved “Believe” story and a new element that will delight children and adults alike – Macy’s Wish Writer stylus and app. The Wish Writer teaches children the importance of giving back to others during the holiday season, while “The Wish Writer” short film shares the same heartwarming story of the gift of generosity. From Nov. 6 through Dec. 24, customers can visit their local Macy’s store to drop their stamped letters addressed to Santa into the big red letterboxes, create and send a letter with the Wish Writer app, or send a letter to Santa through macys.com/believe. 

For each letter collected in-store, through mobile and online, Macy’s will donate $1, up to $1 million, to Make-A-Wish, an organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

“We’re proud to partner with Make-A-Wish for the eighth annual Believe campaign, which continues to be one of our most beloved programs of the year,” said Martine Reardon, chief marketing officer for Macy’s. “After many months of development, we’re excited to launch Macy’s Wish Writer as a fun, new element of this year’s campaign, which will benefit Make-A-Wish and teach children how acts of kindness can spread holiday spirit this season.” 

“Macy’s continues to make helping wish kids with life-threatening medical conditions as simple and fun as writing a letter to Santa - this year adding a new and innovative way through the Wish Writer,” said David Williams, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. “We encourage everyone to join Macy’s and Make-A-Wish this holiday season to ‘believe in the magic of giving’ by submitting their letters to help us grant even more life-changing wishes, because we know that a wish-come-true can be a powerful part of a child’s fight against their illness.”

The Believe campaign was inspired by the true story of 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897 asking if there really was a Santa Claus. The paper’s response, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist …,” written by Francis P. Church, became one of the most famous newspaper editorials of all time. Macy’s has raised $90 million for Make-A-Wish since 2003, with $10.8 million donated over the last seven years through the iconic letter writing campaign during the holiday season.