Over the past couple weeks, I’ve had several conversations and phone calls about Wal-Mart’s holiday advertising which broke prior to Thanksgiving. Committed to not making the same mistake as in 2004, Wal-Mart aggressively launched a media blitz to insure that they would get out the blocks selling at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. They launched the holiday with a series of spots featuring celebrities like Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, and Destiny’s Child. Then, they essentially bought out the day before Thanksgiving television networks with spots touting their Friday morning blockbusters with as strong a price/item blitz as I have ever seen from any retailer.
While they claim that 2 million+ shoppers broke down their doors in the first two hours on Black Friday to get their $398 laptops and $179 flat screen televisions, I’m afraid that the world’s #1 retailer forgot that this is the season to remember what got you to the top spot in the first place.
It certainly isn’t running a feel-good campaign with big names singing nice songs, which looked a lot like Target campaigns of old. Actually, these reminded me of campaigns that used to make Dayton’s and Marshall Field’s the place for holiday shopping when department stores were just that. I don’t think running department store type of spots is what has made Wal-Mart the shoppers destination store all year long as well as the holidays. Then to come back with a price-item campaign for Friday morning specials when you have been touting “Always low prices. Always” for years just to make traffic goals for 7 hours on Friday seems really contradictory. Granted having an exclusive boxed CD set from Garth Brooks (even though he’s been retired for 4 years) is a real merchandising coup. But to go and break prices on laptops that cause people to trample each other just getting into the store and then have fist fights over one of only six that were in stock that morning does nothing but put you in the same boat that nearly sunk Kmart years ago. The news is filled with reports trying to discredit the company now that it’s so big. Why do they have to resort to old time tactics that not only disappoint customers who are used to being able to get what they see advertised at Wal-Mart but also to undermine the trust that they have so effectively built on their march to the top?
It seems they forgot what got them there. Real people talking about real savings on real items they want that are in stock. No doubt Wal-Mart’s campaign needed a fresh look and inspired outlook, but simply running a campaign that looks and feels like those done by the very retailers they took market share from every year is really a step backwards.
The New York Times reported that Black Friday sales were down .9% from last year and that it was a “lukewarm” sales day. I actually went to Wal-Mart on Black Friday at about 4:30pm (you think I'm crazy enough to be there at 4:30 AM?) to see what was happening and pick up some outdoor lights as well. There were no lines at the registers, there were no traces of the blockbuster items, and it was as exciting (from a customer standpoint)as a Friday in mid-August. It sure isn't the way I remember holiday sales from years ago. ‘Tis the season!
Here's to you and your--hope your holiday is more exciting!
Happy Holidays!
Ken
