This year marks the celebration of the 100th birthday of Nieman-Marcus.

Unlike many of our department store brands and specialty store brands, Nieman-Marcus has stayed on the same strategy for 100 years. The orginal partners created it to be a high-end specialty and fashion store. It still is. They have survived four generations of owners, a divorce here and there, and the last quarter century of non-family ownership. How have they done it?

With discipline and clarity. A spokesperson explained, “We try to remember that no-one comes into Nieman-Marcus to buy something that they need. They come in to buy something that they want.” That is a great example of strategic clarity to me. We sell what people want, not what they need.

Their Christmas Wish Book has become the embodiment of that strategy. They try to include at least one item that gets the reader to ask, “who in the world would buy that?” whether it is a suit of armor, or a personal submarine, or a pair of camels? Oddly, almost every year, someone buys the big, outlandish gift. Kudo’s for 100 years of strategic brand clarity.