Nordstrom Debuts Customer-Inspired Campaign to Celebrate its 125th Anniversary

To mark its 125th anniversary, Nordstrom launched "Based on a True Story," a new campaign inspired by real customer experiences. The campaign premiered in theaters nationwide on April 30, the opening weekend of The Devil Wears Prada 2." The 60-second cut was screened across 1,000-plus theaters through May 15.  

The campaign is rooted in real stories shared by real customers. The stories are set across Nordstrom's most iconic spaces, the café, the shoe department, the fitting rooms, and built around the moments the brand has been a part of for 125 years.

In an exclusive interview with Total Retail, Olivia Kim, senior vice president of brand and creative at Nordstrom, shared insights into the "Based on a True Story" campaign. 

Total Retail: Nordstrom built its Based on a True Story campaign around real customer stories rather than a traditional brand narrative. What made now the right moment to let customers become the storytellers?
Olivia Kim: 125 years is a significant milestone, but I think Pete Nordstrom said it best, "We're a brand with heritage, not a heritage brand." This anniversary was never about looking backwards; it's an opportunity to say thank you to the customers, employees, and partners who helped build our story. We have an incredibly vocal customer base that has always been generous in sharing their experiences with us, and over the years we've received the most extraordinary letters. It felt like the right moment to send that love back. Based on a True Story is our way of honoring every person who took the time to share a piece of their life with us.

TR: This campaign highlights iconic Nordstrom touchpoints like the shoe department, fitting rooms, and cafés. How did you decide which everyday experiences best captured the emotional connection customers have with the brand?
OK: We went through thousands of stories with our agency partner, and what struck us was the range. From something as simple as a Sunday lunch in the Café to a teenager who just wanted to feel seen and comfortable. Customer experiences are deeply personal. They share with us what matters most to them. We wanted to balance the big moments with the small ones because that's the truth of what Nordstrom is. Sometimes it's a bowl of tomato soup with a friend, sometimes it's finding the right outfit for the most important day of your life. The shoe department, the fitting rooms, the Café aren’t just spaces, they're where our most meaningful interactions happen and where the real stories live.

Olivia Kim, Senior Vice President, Brand and Creative, Nordstrom

TR: The campaign launched alongside the release of "The Devil Wears Prada 2." What role did cultural timing and entertainment alignment play in the campaign strategy?
OK: Timing and cultural relevance are everything. "The Devil Wears Prada 2" was one of the most anticipated films of the year, and a moment of genuine cultural excitement around fashion. Premiering Based on a True Story alongside it in over 1,000 theaters nationwide meant we could meet audiences at exactly the right moment — when fashion is already top of mind and people are already leaning in. It felt like a natural alignment and that's always the goal.

TR: Why was it important for Nordstrom to invest in cinematic storytelling and a nationwide theater rollout for this milestone moment?
OK: We wanted this to feel different because it is different. These stories deserved to be told with the care and craft of a short film, not a traditional campaign. The theater rollout was about making a statement: that the stories our customers have shared with us over 125 years are worth a cinematic experience. There's also something intentional about the shared viewing experience of a theater. It mirrors what we love most about our stores, which is that sense of being together, of something unfolding in real time. An extended version of the film will also live on Nordstrom.com later this summer.

TR: Authenticity is central to this campaign. How is Nordstrom balancing honoring genuine customer experiences while still creating something aspirational and visually compelling for a fashion audience?
OK: There's a fine line where you can lose the authenticity of a customer's story, and we were very conscious of that. These vignettes are based on real letters sent to us over decades, and what we wanted to preserve was the sentiment and the human connection, not construct a story arc about how Nordstrom saved the day. We don't always get it right and we're always striving to do better. What felt true to us was celebrating the everydayness of what happens in our stores. Nothing too resolved, nothing too tidy.

TR: The Based on a True Story cast blends established comedic and acting talent with emerging voices. What were you looking for in the people who would bring these stories to life, and how did they help shape the tone of the campaign?
OK: We wanted the cast to feel warm, authentic and relatable to who we are as a brand. What we didn't anticipate was that every single person we cast had their own genuine Nordstrom story. Aviana Macie, who anchors the whole campaign, had just bought an outfit at our store right before she got the role. One of our cast members, Maricruz, grew up going to the Café at Del Amo every Sunday with her grandmother to listen to the piano. You can't manufacture that kind of emotion. It was already there. True Whitaker, Amita Rao, Greta Titelman, and Al Warren all brought real warmth and humor that kept the campaign from ever taking itself too seriously. That energy is what kept it human.

TR: As Nordstrom celebrates 125 years, what do you hope this campaign signals about the future of the brand?
OK: I hope it signals that we're not resetting, we're reaffirming. We continue to evolve to meet the needs of customers, striving to offer the  best brands and human-led experience. That's what's gotten us here, and that's what carries us forward. What feels different about Nordstrom's value proposition has always been emotional: it's the connection, it’s serving the customer on their terms and having them leave the store with a sense of fulfillment. In a world where so much of retail has moved to pure transaction, we want to be something more experiential for our customers. A place that surprises and delights, that earns a deliberate choice to walk through our doors. This campaign is our way of saying thank you for 125 years of trust, and our commitment to earning it for the next 125 years.