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Dive Brief:
Walmart has teamed with actors Walton Goggins and Stephanie Beatriz for a new campaign, “Walmart. Who Knew?,” designed to challenge consumer perceptions about the big-box store, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
Goggins serves as a knowledgeable guide in a 60-second spot set to The Who’s “Who Are You” where he dishes on the various perks of shopping with Walmart. Beatriz plays a similar role in a Spanish-language ad set to Ricardo Arjona’s “Quien Diría.”
The effort, which is live and spans TV, online video, paid social and out-of-home ads, follows the retailer’s brand refresh in January. The campaign was inspired by research indicating that while 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart, most aren’t aware of the retailer’s brand evolution.
Dive Insight:
Walmart is reintroducing itself to consumers who may not be aware of its full range of capabilities with its latest campaign. The effort follows the big-box store’s recent brand refresh, which included a new typeface, more vibrant colors and a larger emphasis on its spark logo. The refresh also included a focus on delivering greater consistency across channels like its app and website, moves meant to support its goal of becoming a true omnichannel retailer.
With its latest campaign, Walmart is highlighting features like Express Delivery and its enhanced Walmart+ membership benefits, including free delivery on a variety of items. A 60-second spot starring Goggins (“The White Lotus”) begins with the star asking “You wanna hear a secret?,” before revealing that the sauna he is sitting in is from Walmart. He goes on to appear in a variety of other scenarios, showcasing how the retailer can provide an assist. The spot ends with a voiceover that states, “The Walmart you thought you knew is now new.”
Actress Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) appears in a Spanish-language spot set at a gender reveal party. The star is seen explaining that, because of Walmart’s speedy delivery, she is able to wait to learn what gender the baby is before purchasing a gift, which she proceeds to do after a chaotic reveal. Ahead of the campaign’s launch, celebrity Paris Hilton and NBA player Russell Westbrook appeared to tease the effort with social media posts that featured blue and yellow shopping bags marked with the words “I knew.”
Walmart’s effort takes a similar approach as JCPenney’s “Yes, JCPenney” campaign that launched in April. That effort, which pushes consumers to reconsider what they think they know about the 123-year-old brand, kicked off with out-of-home ads that depict stylish looks but without overt labels. Instead, they feature copy reading, “It’s from where?” and QR codes that reveal the clothing is from JCPenney. The similarities between Walmart and JCPenney’s campaigns are a signal of how legacy retailers — Walmart was founded in 1962 — are attempting to stay relevant and build loyalty as shopping habits change.
Walmart reported revenue of $165.6 billion during Q1 of its fiscal year 2026 ended April 30, an increase of 2.5% year over year, per an earnings statement. Its global ads business grew 50% YoY and Walmart Connect in the U.S. was up 31%. Beyond its campaign, the brand has sought to connect with consumers in other ways recently, including through the launch of its own Minecraft Java server in March as a way to link itself to the movie based on the video game property.