The goal of the campaign, by the Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., part of the Interpublic Group of Companies , is to promote low prices as a means rather than an end — less Scrooge and more Tiny Tim . For instance, in one commercial, the question, “What will you do with your savings?” is answered by showing a grinning boy riding a bicycle with a big red gift bow atop the handlebars. A print advertisement presents a house and yard ablaze with Christmas lights
“With great holiday decorations at unbeatable prices,” the headline says, “we’ve got two words for you: backup generator.” In another commercial, a wife raves about the “incredible” price she paid for a Toshiba HD-DVD player she bought her husband. “All I know is that Christmas is going to be a very, very good day,” she says, smiling.
Another print ad, decorated with a ribbon-bedecked ornament labeled “For every wish,” shows gold jewelry; the prices are displayed near each earring, bracelet and necklace. “We make it affordable to have a heart of gold,” the headline declares. The goal is to persuade budget-minded consumers that “the more you save, the more Christmas you can give,” said Stephen Quinn, chief marketing officer at Wal-Mart Stores in Bentonville, Ark.
“The core statement of our holiday program is that you can save money if you shop at Wal-Mart,” he added, but to “find more positive and more emotionally connective ways” to express it beyond prosaic appeals to buy stuff cheap. This is the first holiday campaign for Martin, an agency best known for its humorous Geico insurance campaigns, featuring offbeat characters like geckos and cavemen.