Dive Brief:
- 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 buy holiday gifts. A concerned girl named Mindy Lou Who wishes for a solution to the chaos, which comes in the form 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 due to tariffs, creating a demand to balance emotional appeals with value.
Dive Insight:
Walmart is offering a dose of whimsy this holiday season as it expands a “Who Knew?” messaging platform launched earlier this year and continues to lean into marketing focused on pop culture nostalgia. “Who Knew?” challenges consumer perceptions around the big-box store by showcasing the variety 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 latest 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 reminiscent of the Christmas classic. The town’s bulbous architecture feels distinctly Seussian while characters, including protagonist Mindy Lou Who, sport cartoonishly swirly and colorful hair.
Walmart collaborated with Dr. Seuss Enterprises on the campaign, which will appear across broadcast TV, online video, streaming platforms, social, out-of-home, audio, digital, cinema and affiliate and creator channels, among others. The announcement also stated that “one of the holiday’s most beloved characters” will bring “a little 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 are). Items are highlighted through a mobile device that displays a modified version of the Walmart app interface.
“Over the past few years, we have strategically redefined what a retail campaign can be, blending entertainment with solutions for real holiday stressors,” said Walmart CMO William White in a LinkedIn post around the news. “Walmart’s WhoKnewVille is the ultimate expression of this strategy, expanding our ‘Who Knew?’ campaign into a fully immersive, Dr. Seuss-inspired world just in time for the holidays.”
The campaign is rolling out as Walmart prepares for the critical Black Friday sales rush, where it will slash prices up to 60% on top brands and offer thousands 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 will be available in three phases this year: an early Black Friday event running Nov. 14-16, a proper Black Friday push from Nov. 25-30 and a Cyber Monday promotion on Dec. 1. Walmart+ members have early access to each of these 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% year over year to $177.4 billion in the company’s fiscal Q2 2026 while net sales in the U.S. jumped 4.8% to $120.9 billion.
