Walmart Unveils Bold Ad Campaign To Update Its Image Starring Walton Goggins
"Walmart, Who Knew?" ad campaign with Walton Goggins
Walmart is intent on changing its image from the familiar discount retailer you thought you knew to what it is becoming: a cutting-edge, digitally driven retail leader, all while staying true to its humble, middle-American roots.
It does that brilliantly in a new ad campaign, entitled 'Walmart. Who Knew,' featuring The White Lotus star Walton Goggins, whose name makes him the perfect fit for the role. In another custom-made pairing, its soundtrack is The Who's classic rock anthem, 'Who Are You.'
'Walmart's new ad campaign is designed to make consumers rethink their perceptions of the brand,' GlobalData's Neil Saunders shared with me. 'It hits all the right notes. It is funny and engaging, uses great actors and its message actually makes people pause and think.'
Walmart began the year with a logo refresh that included a wordmark inspired by founder Sam Walton's original trucker cap, along with a bolder custom font.
The change, considered ever so slight by numerous social media commentators, hardly lived up to the promise expressed in a statement by chief marketing officer William White:
'Walmart aims to be an inspirational, digital retailer that provides all the products, brands and services our customers need and want. This update, rooted in the legacy of our founder, Sam Walton, demonstrates our evolving capabilities and longstanding commitment to serve our customers of today and tomorrow.'
With the 'Walmart. Who Knew?' campaign, White and his Walmart team have made good on that promise.
The one-minute commercial includes a series of four vignettes, starting with Goggins in a sauna he bought from Walmart – 'Who knew?' Next comes a Big Foot tracking adventure, where he orders bear spray online, and a honky-tonk bar scene, where he plays the piano and uses the Walmart app to settle a brewing bar fight.
The commercial ends with Goggins and a group of folk dancers clogging, an homage to Walmart's country heritage, spotlighting that Walmart has all the necessary equipment for a folk dance, from dancing shoes, bullhorns to call out steps and accordions for musicians – 'They should call you Walton 'Cloggins.'' A final voiceover says, 'The Walmart you thought you knew is now new.'
The commercial succinctly and humorously gets the point across. Walmart carries over half a billion items online and it offers express delivery in as little as one hour. It very effectively invites new and established customers to take a second look at Walmart.
The commercial drop also coincides with the launch of a GenAI assistant called Sparky. The 'Ask Sparky' button on the app aids in search, provides product comparisons and synthesizes customer reviews. And more Sparky features will follow – 'It will be multi-modal: able to understand text, images, audio and video.'
According to The Little Black Book, Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett NY, Fallon, Digitas and Contender agencies created the spot, including a Spanish language version headlined by Stephanie Beatriz.
Spanish-language "Walmart. Who Knew?" commercial starring Stephanie Beatriz
The commercials are available now online and will extend to TV, out-of-home ads and paid social media, including TikTok TopView. It is also inviting Reddit aficionados to post user-generated 'Who Knew' Walmart moments.
With a Walmart store now within ten miles of 90% of American consumers, its ubiquitous presence makes it easy to overlook or take for granted. This commercial sends a powerful invitation to consumers to give it another look.
'The wider point is that the ad is not produced in isolation. It is part of an ongoing mission to broaden the appeal of Walmart and it highlights tangible changes the company has made on the ground,' GlobalData's Saunders noted.
'A low-price message is still at the heart of Walmart, but it is now so much more than this. When it comes to online shopping, Amazon is often the default. Walmart is trying to break this habitual thought pattern and is saying, 'Look, we're here – give us a try,' he concluded.
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