Lights. Camera. Macy’s.

Macy’s is making a TV show.

The retail giant has optioned the New York Times bestseller “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion” by Julie Satow with plans to develop the book into a fictionalized television series.

The book tells the stories of the trailblazing female department store executives who “transformed retail, redefining the way fashion was sold, marketed and experienced,” according to the Macy’s press release.

Another character will be added to the show – Margaret Getchell, the first woman executive at Macy’s who helped the department store become what it is today. You might know her best for the company’s iconic red star logo.

“These are stories of resilience, ambition and creativity — women who understood the power of storytelling and branding long before it was a business strategy,” said Sharon Otterman, Chief Marketing Officer at Macy’s.

A Magical Content Strategy

This isn’t Macy’s first foray into the entertainment industry. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and 4^th of July Fireworks have long captured TV audiences, and the retailer just signed a 10-year deal with NBCUniversal to feature both on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.

The TV series is part of a wider content strategy that builds upon the showstopping spectacles and fully launches Macy’s into the world of storytelling.

While not every brand needs to create a TV show, there are a couple of lessons to learn from Macy’s move.

First, every brand has a story to tell about its history and evolution. Doing so often drives deeper connections and stronger relationships with customers. Finding a unique way to tell that story is what separates you from the competition.

Second, when a brand doesn’t tell their own story, they lose ownership of the narrative. A key advantage of Macy’s buying the rights to the book is that it now gets to infuse the story of Margaret Getchell into the show – whereas if a competitor had bought the rights, she and Macy’s would likely remain left out.