Walmart Branding Strategy
Walmart’s branding prowess has earned it the position of the fastest moving consumer goods label in all of America. Holding a firm presence across the whole of the U.S., Walmart has established a great degree of trust under their Great Value label. As the largest retailer in the world, Walmart’s branding success came about through numerous large-scale advertising campaigns, each focused on improving the overall value provided to the consumer. Even though own-label success is leading the way for Wal-Mart, this has not always been the case. The brand holds a rich history of transformation that has steadily grown its enormous reach.
Low Cost Goods On The Fore Of Marketing
Affordability has always been on the fore of Walmart’s branding initiatives. From its establishment, the company has supplied low-cost merchandise of reliable quality in areas where high prices are prevalent. Over its formative years, own-brand merchandising and marketing was scarce. However, Walmart underwent a massive brand transformation towards 2008. Between 2008 and 2010 customer ratings for Walmart were on a rapid rise. The new tagline “Save money. Live better” resonated with a whole new market of shoppers. Their brand rebirthed into a trusted source of high-value, low-cost self-branded merchandise. The logo, tagline, and promise of quality matched the reputation for low prices that Walmart had already established.
Emotional Advertising, Focused On Savings
The Walmart brand backs its promise of savings with constant discounts and subsidies covering products from all sectors. The discounted fast moving consumer goods the chain supplies saves consumers over $200 million per year. Compared to government based welfare plans, such as food stamps at $28.6 billion, Walmart has a definite claim to taking care of the interests of the people. This message is conveyed across all advertising mediums. It is one of incredibly low prices on well-manufactured merchandise, no matter what you are looking for. As long as Walmart keeps diversifying its product lines as it has always done, it appears to be on a steady incline of growth.
The Great Value Distinction
Recognizing the need to let customers know that they hold an interest in the value and quality of their merchandise, Walmart established the Great Value in-store brand. Instead of mimicking the competition, they used this opportunity to create a new and clean single-color brand identity that clearly conveys a sense of quality. Walmart’s Great-Value grocery sales are the highest both in terms of revenue and volume, expanding the scale of U.S. marketing through countless improved formulations, product introductions, and packaging.
The Worldwide Reach Of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Trading as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Walmart’s discount department stores and warehouse stores now total 11,528 stores across 28 countries. The company aims to diversify its sales through online transactions, as can be seen with their recent investment in the online retailer Jett.com. This will considerably build their strength as the world’s largest private employer in the coming years. The sheer size of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. allows the brand a great degree of freedom to experiment with new marketing strategies and product lines. As a result, Walmart has developed an extremely diverse range of low cost products, and a wide array of store formats. As a brand, its strength is unprecedented.
