- Walmart on Monday debuted its 2025 holiday marketing campaign, which lifts a page from the world of Dr. Seuss, per a press release. The effort extends a “Walmart. Who Knew?” messaging strategy introduced in June.
- Festive ads transport viewers to the fictional town of WhoKnewVille as denizens stress over where to purchase holiday gifts. A concerned girl named Mindy Lou Who wishes for an answer to the chaos, which comes in the shape of a shooting star carrying a mobile device promoting the range of products Walmart carries.
- The campaign was developed by Publicis Groupe agencies Fallon, Leo Burnett NY, The Community, Contender and Digitas. Retailers are entering a holiday period clouded by uncertainty on account of tariffs, creating a requirement to balance emotional appeals with value.
Walmart is offering a dose of whimsy this holiday season because it expands a “Who Knew?” messaging platform launched earlier this 12 months and continues to lean into marketing focused on popular culture nostalgia. “Who Knew?” challenges consumer perceptions across the big-box store by showcasing the range of Walmart’s assortment and the convenience of services like Walmart+ as customers refrain “Who knew?” to the tune of The Who’s “Who Are You,” a musical motif that resurfaces in the most recent holiday ads.
“Walmart’s WhoKnewVille” also takes creative inspiration from Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” with a velvet-voiced narrator, story beats and design flourishes strongly paying homage to the Christmas classic. The town’s bulbous architecture feels distinctly Seussian while characters, including protagonist Mindy Lou Who, sport cartoonishly swirly and colourful hair.
Walmart collaborated with Dr. Seuss Enterprises on the campaign, which can appear across broadcast TV, online video, streaming platforms, social, out-of-home, audio, digital, cinema and affiliate and creator channels, amongst others. The announcement also stated that “one in every of the holiday’s most beloved characters” will bring “a bit green holiday mischief” to the retailer’s Black Friday activations, teasing a future appearance from the Grinch.
In the spots, Walmart emphasizes gift ideas like Apple AirPods, Nespresso coffee machines and trend-forward apparel from labels like Madden NYC and Michael Kors (Pop Mart’s Labubu figurines also receive a shoutout from a flustered WhoKnewVille resident who doesn’t know what they’re). Items are highlighted through a mobile device that displays a modified version of the Walmart app interface.
“Over the past few years, we have now strategically redefined what a retail campaign might be, mixing entertainment with solutions for real holiday stressors,” said Walmart CMO William White in a LinkedIn post across the news. “Walmart’s WhoKnewVille is the final word expression of this strategy, expanding our ‘Who Knew?’ campaign into a totally immersive, Dr. Seuss-inspired world just in time for the vacations.”
The campaign is rolling out as Walmart prepares for the critical Black Friday sales rush, where it is going to slash prices as much as 60% on top brands and offer hundreds of deals under $20. The goal is to deliver the “most budget-friendly holiday yet” for shoppers, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said in a press statement. Walmart’s seasonal deals can be available in three phases this 12 months: an early Black Friday event running Nov. 14-16, a correct Black Friday push from Nov. 25-30 and a Cyber Monday promotion on Dec. 1. Walmart+ members have early access to every of those events online.
“Walmart’s WhoKnewVille” is already gaining some traction, with a 90-second cut of the ad standing at over 9 million YouTube views at press time. Walmart has continued to perform well despite the economic volatility sewn by tariffs, contrasting with rivals in the big-box category. Revenue increased 4.8% 12 months over 12 months to $177.4 billion in the corporate’s fiscal Q2 2026 while net sales in the U.S. jumped 4.8% to $120.9 billion.
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