Watch out world, but there’s a new advertising campaign over at Wally World Central! It’s called “The Real Walmart.” Kind of like the Real Housewives of Pigeon Forge, TN but with, well…yeah, pretty much exactly like that.
Now if you stop and visualize “The REAL Walmart” before watching the following commercial, I’m imagining there may be some wincing or reflux occurring. Perhaps an increase in blood pressure, heavy perspiration or even hives in extreme cases may follow. But that is a normal human reaction, so don’t be hard on yourself.
My mind likes to fluctuate between the Facebook sites of the Walmart fashionista shoppers and how they proudly model their purchases down the aisles, and fantasy cartoon combinations of their grocery cart handles and my microbiology class in college. Both are horrifying and should not be observed by small children or those with a strong gag reflex.
Tragically, at the end of April, one of Walmart’s garment factory buildings in Savar, Bangladesh collapsed killing hundreds. The Walmart corporation donated 1.6 million dollars to the Bangladesh Environment Health and Safety Academy to offer much needed assistance in safety training. Good for you, Walmart! Plus, I’m sure their legal team didn’t think it was such a bad move either!
So what do you do when you your company’s crappy image starts looking even worse? You write a song about it! And it goes a little bit like this… Not! You create a commercial that is so funny that the comedians make fun of it and take notice and hope that any publicity is good publicity.
Actually, I don’t think this is what they thought at all. I think the ad agency (who is el stinko!) was pretty proud of their marketing product.
Oh, we have revitalized Walmart for once! Don’t worry, everyone will see past our subliminal messages of *you folk are stupid* and feel better about entering our doors.
IDEAS FOR COMMERCIAL TOSSED AROUND:
Hi! I’m an Astrophysicist and I shop at Walmart.
I’m a Brain Surgeon *you aren’t smart enough for us to use the technical name* and in between surgeries, I’m shopping at Walmart and saving some dollahs! Hollah!
I’m the CEO of Target and even I shop at Walmart!
Do people heading up Walmart think the people who were already shopping there will think differently of their store because of this ad campaign? Or worse does Walmart hope shoppers who have for years purposefully chosen NOT to shop at that store, whether it be for political reasons, environmental reasons – or you just don’t like to pick up your groceries while watching a man put on some deodorant off the shelf and then RETURN it to the same shelf. (My friend Jen at People You Want to Punch in the Throat saw this one weekend morning and Facebooked it and I about barfed!)
I’m just tired of the word “real.” The Real Walmart. Reality TV. The Real Housewives of…
Really?
If you like what you read, please join me at Facebook and Twitter.
