• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, November 5, 2010

Macy's says it is kicking off its holiday ad campaign with a new animated TV spot, featuring Virginia, the animated little girl in its holiday "Believe" campaign. While that's hardly news—the nostalgic campaign is now in its third year—what is remarkable this season is a retailer pushing brand image over price.

Kohl's, for instance, just launched a holiday campaign themed, "Give, save and be merry," and JC Penney's website is currently promoting big sales and early door busters. And even higher end stores are hyping deals: Nordstrom already has its "Holiday Free Shipping" offers up, and even Neiman Marcus is tempting shoppers with something for nothing, with a "Buy now, gift later" promotion that promises free shipping and gift wrap.

"Macy's is trying to zig when others are zagging," says Sally Mueller, a former marketing exec with Target who now runs Mueller Marketing in Minneapolis. "It's trying to rebuild an emotional brand connection, which department stores were once known for, while straddling the balance—it doesn't want to come across as middle-tier store, like Penney or Kohl's, and still compete with higher-end stores, plus all the regional players."