Dive Brief:

• Nordstrom is turning to the comedy world for the marketing of its famous Anniversary Sale this year, which runs July 20-Aug. 5. Four comedians have filmed short videos promoting the retailer's "Show Us How You #NSALE" sweepstakes, where customers can submit a photo or video via social media or online to express their enthusiasm for the sale and win a $500 Nordstrom Gift Card.

• The comedians include Vine/YouTube star Liza Koshy, sitcom writer and producer Daniel Levy, 2 Dope Queens star Phoebe Robinson and New Girl star Hannah Simone. The campaign was shot by Mary Ellen Matthews, who creates portraits of the guests and the cast of Saturday Night Live and directs videos for the show, according to a company press release.

• The photo and video campaign will be featured on the retailer's website, social platforms and in the anniversary sale catalog. Other marketing components include digital, print, out of home, shopping bags, store windows and in-store displays.

Dive Insight:

Nordstrom has tapped a diverse set of comedians, reaching out to people who have found success on social media, traditional television and in the writers room. They are women as well as men, and represent a range of ethnicities and nationalities. 

What they have in common, besides being funny, is that they all have a love for fashion and a sense of style, the department store said. Nordstrom cardholders get early access to the sale, starting July 12 in the U.S. and July 17 in Canada, according to a press release.

The annual sale is a big deal to Nordstrom aficionados, many of whom were rattled when the retailer changed up its half-yearly sales cadence three years ago, but relieved to find that the big anniversary sale was left untouched. Much like Amazon's Prime Day, the sale traditionally takes place at a time of year when consumers are thinking less about shopping than going to the beach.

But proceeds from the sale are robust enough to show up in its second quarter results. Last year, the sale performed better than it had in a while, with Nordstrom Co-President Blake W. Nordstrom noting in August that it helped propel not just sales, but also membership in its loyalty program. The 9.4 million active loyalty rewards customers at the time represented an increase of 50% from the 6.2 million year over year and the sale delivered 56% of the company’s Q2 sales, up from 48% in the previous-year period.

Among the comedians chosen, Robinson said that she goes way back with Nordstrom, having bought the dress for her high school prom there one year. "What I love about Nordstrom is that they have easy, ready-to-wear stuff," she said in a statement. "You can get really cute clothes! And that they're having a sale means you can get more clothes!”