The Martin Agency

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The Martin Agency for Walmart, but I can't find out which of their three offices (Richmond, New York, or Seattle) produced this.

This ad in particular stands outs because it is so different from any advertising we have seen for Walmart, I think ever. Walmart is all about that family-friendly, cooking hot dogs around the grill (that you got for $2 cheaper than the leading grocery store) with the kids image...And even before that, Walmart was all about rolling, rolling, rolling those prices back with the big, yellow smiley face. Walmart is not about two grown men talking smack to each other about Madden, but people liked it. This spot became number one on funnyordie.com, and while this clip shows the full 2 minute spot, the most I ever saw on TV was a 30 second spot. The full 2 minutes is so much funnier that I hope it got played on TV in full somewhere. This spot did a great job at appealing to its audience while providing an important message to its viewers: YOU CAN BUY MADDEN AT WALMART! Finally, mainstream American men don't have to make that annual, awkward trip to the real video game store! I'm embarrassed to admit that I know what guys sound like when they play video/computer games against each other, and this is it. So The Martin Agency also provided their audience with some good ammo for game time.

You don't see a whole lot of branding or mention of the actual brand until the very end when we see the logo and "Save money. Live better." tagline. The "Save money. Live Better." campaign was the result of a major undertaking in research for the Walmart brand when they starting losing out to Target. Walmart discovered that their earlier advertising was completely focused on the lower prices and had completely lost touch with the relationship to the customer; the emotional connection was gone. The new tagline and creative work that we have seen from The Martin Agency has brought back the heart-string connection between Walmart and its shoppers, and they highlight the lifestyle consumers can have when they spend money efficiently and can save for the important things.