Wal-Mart Hulks Up with Nabisco

Wal-Mart joins with Kraft/Nabisco June 28 to take on Universal Studios' The Hulk for an in-store event.The Hulk Challenge puts a fresh Hollywood spin on Nabisco's ageless Oreo Stacking Contest, which has been driving successful retail events for more than two decades. At Wal-Mart stores nationally, kids who build the tallest stack of Oreos win exclusive prizes related to the film. Wal-Mart will use the occasion to cross-merchandise toys, books, video games and other Hulk products. Bentonville, AR-based Wal-Mart is coming a little late to this tie-in party: The film premiered June 20.So far in 2003, Wal-Mart has been making good on its promise to increase event-marketing activity with a spate of in-store promotions leveraging various entertainment and sports properties. Among other upcoming events: "NASCAR On Tour at Wal-Mart," which launched last month, features show cars, race simulators, a "pit crew" challenge, and appearances by NASCAR drivers at 50 stores in 10 Southeast and Midwest states through November. The tour is sponsored by such NASCAR marketing partners (and Wal-Mart vendors) as Energizer, Goodyear, Kingsford, Kodak, and Nestle. Support includes newspaper and radio ads. Scholastic Entertainment and Unilever's Lipton soup brand will help the chain celebrate the 40th anniversary of Clifford the Big Red Dog throughout July. Efforts peak on July 12, when stores will feature discounts on books and home videos and give away free growth charts to kids, and Lipton will invite customers to use its soup boxes to build 'doghouses.' (The product will later be donated to local charities.) In-store signage and radio ads will support. From August through December, Disney launches a line of merchandise tied to its animated series Kim Possible that will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. A variety of marketing activities are planned, highlighted by the Sept. 6 broadcast of a new episode exclusively on Wal-Mart TV. Product-specific ads will run on the in-store network July 28 through Aug. 24 and in the chain's August and September circulars. TV spots promoting the Sept. 6 event will air on Disney Channel beginning Aug. 6. Vendor support comes from Coca-Cola, which will feature Kim Possible collector cards in select Coke Classic packages from July 20 through Aug. 16, and ConAgra's Act II Popcorn, which will back the September rollout of home-video products with an on-pack promo. Wal-Mart, Bentonville, AR, operates 3,400 stores.

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