Dive Brief:

• Noted New York City retailer Saks Fifth Avenue will be live streaming the launch of its holiday windows with a Disney theme based on “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the film, per a company press release.
• The live stream is being sponsored by Mastercard, which is also giving in-store shoppers a chance to take a photo that puts them into one of the windows. 
• The full rollout includes breakfast events, exclusive merchandise and social media engagement along with the live streaming of the window debut on Saks.com. Actress and recording artist Sofia Carson will perform live at the unveiling event accompanied by a 40-person choir. Snow White, Snow Prince and the seven dwarfs will also make an appearance. 

Dive Insight:

Saks is leveraging live streaming to turn a venerable holiday tradition into a digital experience that has the potential to drive excitement among customers who can't get to the chain's New York City store. By conducting the live stream on Saks.com, it has a chance to reach a broader audience, have another revenue stream based on its owned media, control messaging around the event and encourage viewers to do some online shopping. 

The holiday shopping season is important for all retailers and typically comes with a big marketing push. For those stores with an outpost on NYC Fifth Avenue, elaborate holiday-themed windows are traditionally a big draw, with shoppers lining up to see them. Saks is giving its most passionate fans an easy way to be part of its holiday tradition through nothing more taxing than watching a live stream video on its website. The stream will happen Monday November 20, and the window animation and light show will last until January 2, 2018.

The partnership with Mastercard is interesting and shows how, as online shopping becomes more popular, retailers have an opportunity to generate advertising revenue from their websites. This is an area that Amazon has moved aggressively into already and that other retailers are starting to explore. 

The Mastercard tie-in continues with a holiday photo booth in the store where shoppers can step inside a Saks window and create a holiday memory.

"In all things we do at Saks, we strive to reach the people in a meaningful way that captures their emotions— it's what we call the New Luxury," Marc Metrick, president, Saks Fifth Avenue, said in a statement. "This comprehensive and unprecedented collaboration with Disney in our stores, on Saks.com, and in our New York flagship windows exemplifies that strategy by bringing the magic of the holiday season into the lives of our customers everywhere."