What Is Walmart Doing: The “Grinch” Holiday Campaign
- Campaign Theme: “WhoKnewVille”
- Walmart’s 2025 holiday marketing centers on a fictional, Dr. Seuss–inspired town called WhoKnewVille, which draws heavily from the world of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. (Retail Dive)
- The campaign is built on Walmart’s existing “Who Knew?” messaging platform, which challenges perceptions about Walmart — especially around its digital capabilities, variety, and convenience. (Marketing Dive)
- The “Who Knew?” slogan (“Who knew Walmart had all of this?”) is tied to a nostalgic riff on The Who’s song “Who Are You,” which the campaign uses in its ads. (Retail Dive)
- Collaboration with Dr. Seuss Enterprises
- Walmart worked with Dr. Seuss Enterprises on the holiday campaign, meaning this isn’t just a parody — it’s an authorized creative riff. (Adweek)
- The visuals and storytelling borrow a lot from Seussian design: bulbous, whimsical architecture, curly and colorful character designs, swirly lines, etc. (Retail Dive)
- Storyline & Key Characters
- A central character is Mindy Lou Who, who worries about the holiday stress in WhoKnewVille (gifts, timing, deals, etc.). (Retail Dive)
- In the ads, Mindy Lou Who finds a magical mobile device (basically a phone) with the Walmart app on it. Through that device, she starts discovering how Walmart can make her holiday easier. (Media Marketing)
- The Grinch character appears in this world, adding “a little green holiday mischief.” Walmart teases that he’ll be part of its Black Friday activations. (Retail Dive)
- Actor Walton Goggins plays the Grinch in this world. (Adweek)
- In the hero ad (“Mt. Crumpit | Walmart Black Friday Deals”), Mindy Lou visits the Grinch to ask for help spreading the word about Walmart’s big deals. (Adweek)
- There are ~50 different “executions” (versions) of WhoKnewVille content over the season. These are aligned with different holiday shopping moments — early gift planning, Black Friday, last-minute purchases, etc. (Media Marketing)
- Campaign Goals
- Stress Relief Messaging: One of the big ideas is to position Walmart as a helper against holiday stress (gifting, time pressure, price worries). (Adweek)
- Highlighting Walmart’s Digital Strengths: The mobile device in the story is not just a prop — it lets Walmart show off the app and its features. Through the app, the Whos find gifts, deals, and convenient services. (Retail Dive)
- Value & Affordability: Walmart wants to push that it’s budget-friendly, especially for the holiday season, and emphasize deep deals. (Marketing Dive)
- Building an Emotional / Nostalgic Connection: By leaning into the Dr. Seuss / Grinch world, Walmart is tapping into holiday nostalgia and pop culture, making its brand feel more magical and less just transactional. (Little Black Book)
- Media Strategy
- The campaign is very multi-channel: TV (including a launch during Sunday Night Football), online video, social media, influencer content, out-of-home, audio, cinema, and more. (Media Marketing)
- It’s designed so each ad or piece of content corresponds to different parts of the shopper journey — not just one big holiday push. (Media Marketing)
- Walmart is also integrating its Black Friday deals in a narrative way: the Grinch helps spread the word, so it’s not just an ad, but part of the story. (Adweek)
- Creative Team
- The campaign was developed by a coalition of Publicis Groupe agencies: Fallon, Leo NY, The Community, Contender, and Digitas. (Adweek)
- The spokesperson / CMO: William White (Walmart’s Chief Marketing Officer) talked about how this campaign builds on evolving Walmart capabilities and perception. (Media Marketing)
- Business Context
- Walmart is using this campaign at a time of economic uncertainty (tariffs, inflation, etc.), so the “value + convenience” message is pretty central. (Retail Dive)
- Their Black Friday 2025 is structured in phases: early event (Nov 14–16), main Black Friday (Nov 25–30), then Cyber Monday (Dec 1). (Marketing Dive)
- For Walmart+, customers get early online access to these deals. (SSBCrack News)
- Risks / Criticisms
- Some people could see it as commercializing a character that originally criticizes consumerism. (The Grinch story is, at its core, about the hollowness of materialism.) Indeed, some social media users are unhappy with Walmart “using” the Grinch to sell things. (Reddit)
- There’s a tension between the nostalgic/magical Seuss world and a hard sales pitch — Walmart needs to balance “fun Grinch story” with “Hey, buy stuff here.”
- High expectations: Because it’s a big, immersive campaign (50 executions), if parts don’t land (or feel too commercial), it could backfire in terms of brand perception.
Why This Is a Smart Move (For Walmart)
- Differentiation: Many retailers run holiday ads around deals, but not many build a full fantasy world around a well-known fictional character.
- Emotional Engagement: Using Seuss-style storytelling & design helps Walmart feel more “magical” and less purely transactional.
- Boost App Usage: By showing a magical device that’s really the Walmart app, they can drive app downloads / usage and highlight tech.
- Cultural Buzz: Having Walton Goggins as the Grinch gives the campaign a pop-culture hook — and because people already compared him to the Grinch, it feels “right.” (Adweek)
- Value Messaging: In a tight economic environment, leaning into affordability + stress relief is smart; it resonates with many shoppers.
- Long-Term Brand Building: This isn’t just a Black Friday ad, but a platform (“Who Knew?”) that can be extended beyond this season.
- Here are case studies and expert-style commentary on Walmart Turns to the Grinch to Power Its Holiday Marketing Strategy, based on the campaign’s structure, goals, and marketing context.
(Everything is presented safely, with no restricted content.)
Case Studies
Case Study 1: Driving App Adoption Through Storytelling
Challenge:
Walmart wants shoppers to use its mobile app for holiday planning, deals, list-making, and Walmart+ perks — but many still rely on in-store browsing or desktop.Execution:
In the WhoKnewVille storyline, the main character Mindy Lou Who discovers a magical device with the Walmart app on it. This device becomes the solution to holiday chaos — finding deals, locating items, and accessing Black Friday savings.Outcome (expected benefits):
- Strong association between stress relief and using the app
- Organic increase in app downloads from people who want the convenience shown in the narrative
- More Walmart+ trials due to early-deals messaging
- Higher mobile-based conversions during peak shopping weeks
Marketing Insight:
Embedding the product (the Walmart app) into the story world is more effective than a direct “Download our app now” message. It communicates value emotionally and visually.
Case Study 2: Character Licensing to Boost Holiday Brand Warmth
Challenge:
Walmart often battles a perception of being “practical but not magical.” That’s tough during a season built on emotion and nostalgia.Execution:
By officially partnering with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and featuring the Grinch and WhoKnewVille, Walmart taps into instantly recognizable cultural symbols of Christmas.Outcome (expected):
- Boosted brand warmth scores due to nostalgia
- Higher ad recall thanks to iconic character recognition
- Increased social media mentions, memes, and UGC
- Differentiation from Target, Amazon, Kroger, etc.
Marketing Insight:
Character licensing is powerful when it’s not just aesthetic but part of the narrative (e.g., the Grinch spreading word about Black Friday deals). This creates cultural relevance, not just decoration.
Case Study 3: Multi-Phase Holiday Sales Funnel Integration
Challenge:
Holiday spending is fragmented across pre-Black Friday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and last-minute buying. Walmart needs consistent engagement across all phases.Execution:
The campaign releases ~50 themed ad executions, each matching a specific moment:- Early gifting (“WhoKnewVille plans ahead”)
- Black Friday (“The Grinch helps announce deals”)
- December deals (“Holiday stress solved with pickup/delivery”)
- Last-minute panic (“Walmart saves the day”)
Outcome (expected):
- Sustained attention over 6+ weeks
- Better conversion rates: each ad aligns with a natural shopping need
- Stronger omnichannel traffic (store + online + app)
Marketing Insight:
This is an example of moment-based personalization at scale — different emotions and problems are targeted at different points in the holiday season.
Case Study 4: Celebrity Activation (Walton Goggins as the Grinch)
Challenge:
Holiday ads are crowded, and character-heavy campaigns can feel generic if not grounded in a recognizable face.Execution:
Actor Walton Goggins plays the Grinch, using a performance style that adds humor and personality — and brings built-in internet fandom.Outcome (expected):
- Stronger virality from actor-specific memes
- Organic press coverage because people already joke he looks like the Grinch
- High shareability among pop-culture audiences
Marketing Insight:
Casting matters: Goggins adds “character depth,” making the ads feel less like pure brand advertising and more like entertainment.
Comments & Strategic Analysis
1. Walmart’s strategy blends value messaging with fantasy — a rare marketing balance.
By mixing low prices (Walmart’s core positioning) with a whimsical Seussian world, Walmart modernizes its brand without losing its practical appeal.
2. The Grinch is a risky but clever character choice.
The Grinch famously criticizes materialism — using him in a retail campaign could seem ironic or hypocritical.
But Walmart flips the narrative by showing the Grinch supporting “smart, stress-free shopping,” not overspending.3. A full-world creative universe (“WhoKnewVille”) gives Walmart Marvel-like flexibility.
With 50+ creative variations, Walmart built a universe rather than a single holiday ad.
This lets them:- target different customer segments
- release content continuously
- tie deals to story moments
- generate meme-friendly content
Few retailers build this type of expansive holiday world.
4. The entire campaign is a subtle push toward digital transformation.
Despite the whimsical surface, the underlying marketing objective is clear:
Move Walmart customers to the app, delivery, pickup, and Walmart+.5. Publicis Groupe’s multi-agency approach shows how complex the campaign is.
With Fallon, Leo Burnett, The Community, Digitas, and others involved, this is a high-budget, large-scale production — likely one of Walmart’s biggest holiday efforts in years.
6. Consumer sentiment will depend on how well nostalgia is balanced with authenticity.
If the campaign feels too commercial, it could attract criticism.
But if executed playfully (which early previews suggest), it has strong potential for holiday virality.