Walmart’s Winter Olympics play focuses on helping people ‘live better’
In a new ad campaign that will debut during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, Walmart is emphasizing the ‘live better’ part of its famous ‘Save money. Live better’ slogan. The ad aims to give viewers a glimpse into the everyday lives of Walmart shoppers and employees while also highlighting safety and giving a slight nod to its technological sophistication.
Walmart wants to help people "live better"
“Save money. Live better.” For years, this has been retail giant Walmart’s fundamental message. But while many people would agree that shopping at Walmart can help them save money, it’s less clear how the brand is actually helping people to “live better.” In a new campaign breaking during the Winter Olympics, Walmart has decided to place greater emphasis on how the brand can improve people’s quality of life.
The new ad, titled “Live Better Now,” is a one-minute montage of visual wholesomeness: a smiling couple walking arm-in-arm through a parking lot with puppy chow; a shopper retrieving an inflatable ball for his excited young daughter; a Walmart employee helping an elderly shopper carry plants into the back of a car; a family getting ready to sit down at their dining table for a home-cooked meal; a smiling young man walking down the street with a box of diapers under his arm.
Walmart is emphasizing the supreme importance of “human connection” — an essential ingredient for mental health and human flourishing, which many of us have been involuntarily deprived of for agonizingly long periods of time over the past two years. “At Walmart, we understand how the human connection ignites the potential for a better life,” Walmart’s Chief Marketing Officer William White said in a statement provided by the company. “This campaign reveals the stories behind our associates and our customers that we think will surprise, inspire and move people to understand that human connection.” The brand — which reportedly has a location within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population, per a statement from the company — appears to be positioning itself as a vital node of connectivity within the vast network of human interaction spread across the country.
The brand has also suffused its new ad with images of masked employees and shoppers, clearly intended to impart a feeling of safety to that part of the population that’s, understandably, still nervous about venturing out in public, even if that’s just to pick up some groceries. The ad also highlights Walmart’s technological prowess: a brief scene towards the end shows a drone dropping a package, equipped with a small parachute, onto a customer’s front lawn. The retail chain also reportedly has plans for a potential expansion into the metaverse — complete with its own collection of NFTs — though these details were not highlighted by the new video spot.
The ad is set to debut during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, the live coverage of which will kick off Feb.4 at 6:30am ET. It will ultimately be rolled out across linear and digital throughout the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.