How Nordstrom Is Bringing Its Brand to Life for Its 125th Anniversary

A milestone birthday calls for a landmark celebration, and Nordstrom is pulling out all the stops this year.

Centered around exclusive brand activations, creative campaigns and special moments to honor loyalty members, the retailer is set to amplify its place in the market in a big way. And for Nordstrom chief marketing officer Deniz Anders, these initiatives serve as a “good reminder” of the company’s customer service roots.

“We are really taking the opportunity to thank both our team members and our customers this year,” Anders said. “What we plan to do is to amplify the great stories of our brand partners, as well as the stories of how our [employees] are doing their best to serve customers to make them feel good. That’s the theme that we want to take throughout the year.”

Brand Partnerships & Activations

Anders noted that Nordstrom will host a full year of “impactful” brand activations featuring exclusive product from many of the retailer’s designer partners — including Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik and Brunello Cucinelli — alongside longtime partners like Nike and On. She also teased “something big” with Adidas this year surrounding the World Cup.

The company is also doubling down on its footwear roots for its 125th birthday with the continuation of its ongoing Make Room for Shoes campaign, which launched in 2024. The CMO noted that the initiative “continues to resonate with customers,” and Nordstrom plans to build on the campaign’s success with brands including Ugg, Birkenstock, Rothy’s and others.

“Part of doing Make Room for Shoes is to remind customers that we strive to be the best shoe destination with the world’s best brands,” Anders said. “So there’s a big focus on culminating that initiative into our 125th celebrations.”

Nostalgia will also play a part with the reemergence of old logos and key styles that customers loved in the past. “With this in mind, we’ll introduce a Nordstrom-branded capsule collection featuring items like tote bags, bag charms and a few nostalgic throwbacks,” Anders noted.

More activations are scheduled throughout the year, including special events in New York and Paris to thank brands and longtime industry partners, the CMO said.

And ultimately, this slate of activations comes down to a sense of discovery. “Our fundamental role in marketing remains the same, and that’s to highlight what sets Nordstrom apart,” Anders added. “What we’re going to do with this 125th milestone is to remind customers that Nordstrom is a place of discovery, and that we’re dedicated to nurturing emerging fashion talent but also being the go-to destination for beloved brands.”

Visual Storytelling

As for the visual element of this milestone, Nordstrom has created a new TV campaign in partnership with Invisible Dynamics that will debut this month. Led by Nordstrom’s senior vice president of creative, Olivia Kim, the spot will celebrate life’s special and everyday moments and how Nordstrom helps them take shape.

The company will also introduce a physical archive — which includes some rare black-and-white footage of John W. Nordstrom — that will be on display at its Seattle flagship later this year.

“Where our brand really shines is our humanity, our events, our experiences and our people who strive to deliver exceptional service every day,” Anders said. “Our focus in marketing is to double down on what makes us who we are and amplify those efforts across all of our marketing channels.”

This includes a play on the number 125. “We will launch our biggest catalog ever, which will be 125 pages,” the CMO said. “We’re also challenging our employees to give 12.5 hours of volunteer service this year because we believe, as an organization, in being of service to customers in our communities. There are a lot of fun things planned; it’s not one moment in time.”

Moments of Loyalty

Customer service is a cornerstone of what sets Nordstrom apart from other players in the space. And for the company’s monumental milestone, it plans to give back to some of its most loyal customers, most notably during its famous Anniversary Sale and the holiday season.

Nordstrom is also engaging with its longtime credit card holders, some of whom have been loyal since the 1950s and ’60s. The company plans to thank them through personalized messages from co-chief executive officers Pete and Erik Nordstrom later this year.

“Bottom line, what we intend to do this year really isn’t much different than what we do every year,” Anders said. “We often say that we’re a brand that is built by our customers and enabled by our people. What we mean by that is, it is often the word of mouth of our customers and the experiences that they have with our people that drives our reputation. And from a marketing perspective, our job is to tell some of those stories. Our goal is to not only remind customers why they have stayed loyal to us all these years but also to attract new customers and drive growth.”