Price on the Jersey
Walmart
Issue 44 | September 2017
Agency
DM9DDB
Creative Team
Creative Chairman Nizan Guanaes Chief Creative Officer Aricio Fortes Executive Creative Director Paulo Coelho Creative Directors João Mosterio, Adriano Alarcon, Carlos Schleder Art Directors Luiz Ramón, Matheus Rosa, Felipe Gregório Copywriter Felipe Choi
Production Team
Post Production Matheus Basílio Costa
Other Credits
VP Client Services Marcelo Passos Account team Ricardo Polmon, Bruno Zambotti, Giulia Sonnenfeld, Media Jefferson Sales, Larissa Deliberai
Date
April 2017
Background
The northeastern region of Brazil was one of the most important regions for Walmart. The economic crisis that had gripped the country since 2014 had a direct effect on the company's business. Consumers started to trade large shopping trips at Walmart for smaller trips to neighbourhood stores to stock up on essential items.
More than ever, Walmart needed to remind Brazilian consumers of their core proposition: lower prices.
Sam Walton's motto of "Everyday low cost, everyday low price" extended also to the brand's marketing.
Idea
To show people that Walmart has low prices on everyday household necessities, numbers Brazilians love to look at were used: the numbers on soccer players' jerseys.
A partnership was established with one of the most popular football teams in the region, Fluminense de Feira. Walmart's offers were displayed on the jerseys, turning player numbers into prices.
Every week, the shirts displayed new offers.
The idea travelled far beyond the stadium getting plenty of attention on live, prime-time TV as well as on radio commentary, where the sports reporters used the Walmart offers with the players' names.
Results
The campaign led to an increased number of visitors to Walmart stores. Some product lines experienced sales increases of more than 40% in the days following games.
All in a year in which the Brazilian economy was in recession and retail sales as a whole fell by 7%.
The success of the campaign has led to Walmart establishing contracts with other Brazilian soccer teams such as Caxias do Sul FC and Sport Clube Campina Grande,
Helping Walmart build local relationships through local support.
How to hijack a TV audience for your brand – just put your message on the back of your club's football shirts. Instead of player numbers, Walmart substituted the prices of everyday shopping items like ketchup, shampoo, yoghurt etc. 67 66
Our Thoughts
If you look in the dictionary, you'll see that advertising is defined as "the business of making something known to the public, usually through some type of paid media."
When I first came into the business, it was much more focused on driving sales.
David Ogilvy did not say, "We engage, or else..." For him it was all about sales.
But the sort of work that dominates awards shows these days is much more soft focus. Personally, I think it's easier to create branded content than it is to get people to open up their purses and part with their hard-earned cash, which is why I admire this campaign so much.