Legend has it that a Yeti lives atop Saks Fifth Avenue, making snowflakes during the holiday season. Sure, we invented the legend in 2011. But we also supported the legend with a rich story worthy of a creature that has been living at Saks for decades.
Most people get their first look at the Yeti during our 3-D light show projected on our New York storefront during the holidays.
Yeti merchandise included everything from books to socks. The plush Yeti toy sold out twice in New York, where fans could take their picture with a life-sized version.
We encouraged the Yeti's Facebook friends to send in pics from around the country. And Yeti-isms started to appear on Twitter.
The online campaign went well beyond traditional social media channels. We created an entire ecosystem around the Yeti. A Yeti tracking website became a forum for sightings while conspiracy theorists could contribute to YetiLeaks. And videos containing purported Yeti sightings—from security footage to cell-phone videos—started to crop up on YouTube.
Kids loved him (this first grade class made him the star of the school).
The Yeti was even invited to ring the closing bell on Black Friday at the New York Stock Exchange.
By employing so many different media, from windows to merchandise to social media to light shows, we built a lasting, larger-than-life story for our beloved holiday hero.
