When you think of the biggest parade in the United States, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If you’re like most Americans, the answer is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, one that’s arguably the most iconic parade in the world. Every year, countless people travel from all over the country to New York City to see this massive parade in person.
This year, there’s a big change coming.
No, the parade isn’t moving, ending, or changing the way it’s been done for more than nine decades. The big change is the fact that this year’s parade will be featured in an NFT collection that will be given away for free on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade NFT Details
In an announcement, Macy’s said that it will be launching a collection of NFTs surrounding its iconic Thanksgiving Day Parade. The digital collectibles will be digital motion images of parade floats, balloons, and more, all of which will be absolutely free for the first people that do nothing more than ask for them.
The collection is being developed to commemorate the parade’s 95th anniversary and will feature 9,510 collectibles available for free on a first-come-first-serve basis. The collection was designed and developed by a digital agency led by NFT artists REO and Seth Brown called REOMETRY.
The NFTs come with a philanthropic kicker too. While the collection will be absolutely free for the lucky 9,500 people that get their hands on one of these tokens, future sales will benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. In fact, the tokens were built with a perpetual royalty of 10%, 100% of which will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
What’s that mean?
Once the collection is released and pieces of the collection find their ways into digital wallets across the United States, those who own them will have the ability to sell them on the Ethereum compatible marketplace of their choice. When those sales take place, 10% of the sale price will be automatically donated to the Make-A-Wish foundation.
In a statement, Will Coss, Executive Producer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, had the following to offer:
“As we celebrate our rich legacy, 95 years in the making, we were struck by the unique place the Parade holds in pop culture, always evolving and reflecting the greatest characters and artists of each generation”
“To celebrate that history, we created art in a new form through NFTs that would bring the magic of the Parade to a new generation while raising funds for our partner Make-A-Wish.”
Why Is Macy’s Launching an NFT Collection?
These digital collectibles are the hottest craze on the market right now, with some non-fungible tokens selling for hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars. As a result, several big brands have hopped on the bandwagon in order to raise funding, raise money for charity, and connect with a large, new audience.
On a web page the company created surrounding the collection, in the Frequently Asked Questions section, the company answered the question as to why it’s launching NFTs saying:
“We’re always looking to innovate our classic celebrations & we’re pulling out all the stops for the 95th anniversary of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We’ve partnered with Sweet to create our own limited-edition mint of 9,510 Parade balloon NFTs: 10 will be auctioned off to benefit Make-A-Wish & the remaining 9,500 are being given away for free, plus 10% of every sale of any NFT will also go to Make-A-Wish forever.”
When it comes to the 10 collectibles that will be auctioned off, the company already listed them on the web page linked above, as well as the prices at which the collectibles will start the auction. All told, if the company only drives its minimum bid for each of these 10 collectibles, it will generate $334,000 in sales to donate to Make-A-Wish. However, we’ve seen auction prices fly from time to time, and there’s a good chance that this particular auction will drive much more money for the charitable organization.
This Is Huge News
The news released by Macy’s surrounding its Thanksgiving Day Parade NFTs is a massive announcement for two reasons:
- It’s Macy’s. First and foremost, we’re not talking about some small company that’s using NFTs to build awareness; we’re talking about Macy’s, a retail powerhouse that’s been an influential brand in the United States since its inception in 1858. The fact that the company is diving into the Web3 community is yet another point of inflection that shows the value, and staggering rate of adoption, of this technology.
- Charitable Contributions. NFTs have been used to raise money for charity for some time. However, this time is different. Not only will there be collectibles sold with proceeds going to Make-A-Wish, there’s a built-in royalty that will make a 10% donation to the charity with each sale in perpetuity. That’s a big move. One that not only encourages charitable giving, but takes action to make it happen.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line here is simple. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade NFT collection is likely to be a big hit, and it’s one of very few collections that fans will be able to get their hands on for free. Moreover, the fact that the company put a charitable royalty in the smart contract makes it even more exciting. Don’t miss out! Go to the website linked to above to learn more about how to get your hands on one of these collectibles.
Leave A Comment