In honor of National Voter Registration Day, Saks Fifth Avenue launched “Register to Vote at Saks” on September 22, 2020. This initiative aimed to educate the community on the importance of voting by utilizing Saks’ platform to foster voter accessibility and rights, and provide a seamless experience to prepare for the upcoming election through an integrative voter registration platform, available through the New York Flagship and on saks.com.
As an iconic brand, Saks has a responsibility to champion issues that matter to society and has a long-standing history of platforming a number of meaningful causes. “Register to Vote at Saks” utilized the company’s influence to start a conversation around the importance of voting and encourage the community to take action, including its associates. In partnership with non-partisan organizations HeadCount and Vote.org, Saks built a unique, educational experience that provided the tools and experts needed to do so effectively.
As a leader in luxury retail, Saks set the industry precedent by declaring the 2020 presidential election day a corporate holiday for U.S. associates, with the goal to make voting as accessible as possible for its associates and encourage community participation.
In partnership with non-partisan organizations HeadCount and Vote.org, Saks developed a multi-faceted strategy combining digital and physical space to offer educational resources and access to registering to vote. A digital voter registration platform was specially created in conjunction with Vote.org, and made available through saks.com. The digital platform allowed participants to register to vote for the upcoming election, check and update their registration status, and request an absentee ballot from anywhere in the country. Through Saks’ marketing channels, members of the community were invited to take action utilizing the digital platform via targeted messaging. Upon clicking or tapping, users were then taken to the platform to select their voting action or browse resources to answer voting-related questions.
In addition to digital marketing, Saks partnered with influencers including Thania Peck, Chris Lin, and Brock Williams to amplify "Register to Vote at Saks” and encourage their audience to take action via the online or in-store activation. The influencers virtually took followers inside the flagship to demonstrate the ease of the registration process, discuss the significance of voting, and provide their audience with additional non-partisan resources to make informed voting decisions. Influencers shared a link to the digital voter registration platform to encourage their followers to take action from wherever they are.
The second floor of the Saks New York Flagship hosted an immersive voting registration experience complete with live registration booths and representatives from HeadCount. The in-store activation housed touch-screen computer stations linked to the digital platform, and equipped for visitors to register to vote, complete absentee ballot applications, and check their registration status. Each station provided printers, stamps, and envelopes for participants to prepare any mail-in forms required by their state. HeadCount’s representatives were available to walk visitors through the registration process and answer any voting-related questions. Upon completing registration, guests had the opportunity to enter a photo booth equipped for immediate image sharing on their social media channels to call for peer participation.
Complementary to the in-store activation, the New York Flagship dedicated its iconic center six Fifth Avenue windows to spell out “VOTE.” The display also highlighted key milestones over the course of U.S. voting history including the 19th Amendment granting many women the right to vote, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, removing discriminatory barriers that kept many people of color from voting, the 1971 passing of the 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age to 18, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, ensuring all polling stations are accessible to voters with disabilities. Each window also featured unique QR codes that linked to Saks’ digital voter registration platform and enabled passersby to engage on the go.
All aspects of the “Register to Vote at Saks” initiative centered around the digital platform. Saks’ goal to educate the community and grant voter registration access was made possible through multiple channels linking to one reliable, non-partisan resource.
Throughout the 40 days the digital voter registration platform was live, 602 individuals registered to vote, 451 individuals verified their registration status, and 151 individuals requested absentee ballots for a total of 1,204 actions taken. The number of actions was unrivaled in the fashion, retail, and luxury spaces, as “Register to at Saks” was praised as an unmatched effort to grant voting registration access.
The in-store experience received 723 visitors total. Saks found a number of participants visited the store specifically for the registration booths, which was a win given the challenges of welcoming guests to in-store experiences in 2020.
Partnering with influencers allowed Saks to garner over 1.2 million Instagram impressions. As a result of influencer partnerships, the Saks digital platform earned 1,163 engagements, including from registering to vote and searching for poll locations.
“Register to Vote at Saks” garnered 323.5 million media impressions, including a broadcast placement on Good Day New York, along with features in notable publications including Elle, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and the New York Post. The initiative earned 39 stories in the press, and Saks was mentioned in the headlines of 27 feature stories.
“Register to Vote at Saks” effectively utilized the company’s influence to drive home the importance of voting and encouraged members from many communities to take action. Saks successfully built a unique, educational experience that was unmatched by competitors in the industry, and provided the tools needed to take action
