Wal-Mart Stores has made its merchandise the centerpiece of image ads breaking this week. The TV and print campaign, tagged "Look beyond the basics," follows Wal-Mart's strategy of using shopper testimonials. In these nine TV spots and accompanying print ads, shoppers tell about going into Wal-Mart for something basic, and buying something unexpected—, dishes, a TV, clothes. GSD&M, Austin, TX, handles.
The ads are "very much in line with Wal-Mart's strategy of becoming constantly more relevant to the broad range of customers who shop our stores," said senior VP-marketing Stephen Quinn.
Wal-Mart has been working to upgrade its image since fourth-quarter 2005, when a $150 million holiday campaign showed celebrities Garth Brooks, Destiny's Child, Martina McBride, Jesse McCartney and Queen Latifah in their own homes (Xtra Nov. 3). Bernstein-Rein, Kansas City, MO, handled the holiday effort, as well as ads that broke in mid-January with the tagline "Save More, Smile More."
Bentonville, AR-based Wal-Mart wants to attract more shoppers from higher-earning households. The new pitch for goods beyond basics builds on that strategy, and pits Wal-Mart more directly against image-conscious Target Stores.
