CINCINNATI — Federated Department Stores Inc., the nation's biggest department store retailer, yesterday unveiled a large promotional campaign to relaunch the Macy's brand nationwide.

The promotions are aimed at building Macy's into a nationwide brand while luring customers of the former May stores that include such longtime retailing names as Foley's, Filene's, Kaufmann's, Robinson-May, Strawbridges and Marshall Field's. The switch to the Macy's nameplate will give Federated more than 800 Macy's stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.

Federated became the nation's largest department store retailer when it bought May Department Stores Co. last year. It is converting about 400 May stores to the Macy's nameplate.

Advertising will run on national and cable television, newspapers, magazines, radio, billboards and online. The company also will send 54-page catalogs to 3.8 million people in markets new to Macy's.

The switch of the stores Saturday will be celebrated by block parties, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and gift-card giveaways, Federated said yesterday.

"Consumers soon will see Macy's as a fashion leader on the national stage, yet accessible locally," said Anne MacDonald, Macy's president of corporate marketing.

Cincinnati-based Federated completed the $11 billion buyout of May in August 2005. Its plan for a national retail strategy for Macy's began before that as it began changing other regional department store nameplates — including Bon Marche, Burdines, Goldsmith's, Lazarus and Rich's — to the Macy's brand.

Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys Inc., a New York-based customer research marketing firm, said the extent of the Macy's campaign came as no surprise.

"I think it's exactly what they should be doing," he said. "The use of TV to get higher attention and get the announcement out is a very smart move, although it's not likely to be the long-term strategy. After the dust settles, they likely will migrate back to more traditional methods such as newspapers."