Dive Brief:

• Neiman Marcus is leaning into the travel world. On March 1, the department store will unveil a new campaign, dubbed "The Art of Travel," offering 500 travel-themed exclusives from handbags and fine apparel to beauty and men's clothing, the company told Retail Dive in an email. Products will be offered from March until May.

• Neiman Marcus has partnered with Tourism Ireland, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Audley Travel and MSC Cruises to capture photographs and other original content from around the world using notable photographers Phil Poynter, Agata Pospieszynska, Billy Kidd, Jeff Stephens, Greg Lotus and John Balsom.

• The campaign will be featured in Neiman Marcus' spring book, offering travel guides, packing lists and suggested trip itineraries, among other things, from travel industry insiders at Neiman Marcus and Audley Travel. The campaign will also show up in stores with "travel-friendly products" and in-store "activations."

Dive Insight:

This new campaign comes at a time when many retailers are eyeing growth in travel and leisure spaces. That makes a lot of sense when you consider the luxury element associated with travel, and the shareability.

Upstart brands like Away have benefited greatly from a young, digitally savvy and travel (not to mention Instagram) obsessed customer base. Thanks to a limited-time collection last month, Nordstrom tapped into that market with a travel pop-up shop featuring Away suitcases alongside essentials like neck pillows, facial towelettes, eye masks and guidebooks. Neiman Marcus may be looking to similarly test the waters to gauge interest with core and new customers in the travel space. The company already currently merchandises its online women's department by clothing, occasions and "for a getaway." 

Fresh campaigns with the possibility of reaching new customers are critical for a department store like Neiman Marcus that is trying to stay relevant as it battles behind the scenes with debtholders. Neiman Marcus is reportedly back in talks with creditors to rework its debt before its term loan comes due next year, unnamed sources recently told Bloomberg.

The department store retailer is currently in the midst of an "ignite to win" turnaround plan that aims to drive total sales to $700 million in adjusted EBITDA within five years, the company has previously said. New executives may help them get there. Earlier this month, Neiman Marcus named several mid-level appointments that hint at a major overhaul of its customer experience efforts.