I also cannot figure out why they had Jennifer Hudson in the parade in the first place? Does she have a Christmas album out or did they make her the main singer like Cher was last year?
I don't think there was any hidden meaning behind Jennifer Hudson's appearance, other than she is a talented and popular performer. The organizers want to cast the parade with acts that will attract and entertain viewers. Sometimes they have an album or movie out to tie-in to their performance, sometimes not. I enjoyed JH's performance, especially the guy holding the umbrella who ran around next to her to keep her dry!
I think Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade focuses more on promoting New York tourism than the store itself with sales because they think that this is the top draw of New York holiday events other than the tree lighting ceremony and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes holiday show.
I just read about how much it costs to be in the parade. A company that wants to sponsor a new balloon pays about $100,000 to have it constructed, and $90,000 to have it inflated each year. Overall, about $500,000 worth of helium is used to inflate all the balloons. A company or organization that wants to enter a float will pay anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 to construct it, depending on how elaborate they make it. When you pay that much for something, you're going to want some kind of return. Companies and organizations use parade entries as marketing tools to boost product sales or attendance numbers. Disney, the Bronx Zoo, Green Giant, Brach's and all the other companies are looking to increase sales and brand recognition for participating in the parade.
The parade does often focus on New York tourism since it attracts local organizations. The Rockettes always perform at the parade and, hence, advertise their show at Radio City.
We saw the parade live two years ago after our son moved to NYC. We woke up at 4:30, were on the subway by 5:00 and staked out a spot in front of Central Park before 6:00 a.m. We sat on the cold pavement for over 3 hours until the parade finally started. We went without coffee that morning, not knowing if there would be a bathroom available. The parade was fun, but I found it to be less spectacular than you see on TV. We were toward the beginning of the route where no one is performing yet, just waving from their floats. There were tons of Macy's employees dressed as clowns running around between the balloons, band and floats, each throwing confetti at the crowd which we later found in our clothes, hair, bags, etc. I'm glad I saw it live once, but I will likely not do it again. Next time we go to NYC for Thanksgiving, I will stay in the hotel and watch it on TV with my coffee!
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