Wal-Mart Unwraps Holiday Campaign

Wal-Mart is brightening up the holiday season by introducing its first celebrity home collection and a pair of renegade elves.Officially launched Nov. 1, the retailer's "Be Bright" holiday campaign spotlights an exclusive "Home for the Holidays" collection by interior designer Colin Cowie. Rolled out in late October, the "Csquared by Colin Cowie" line comprises contemporary gift or entertainment pieces, such as picture frames, dinnerware, pillows and topiaries. Products in the collection retail from $2.94 to $39.97. Cowie, who briefly designed an entertainment line at J.C. Penney, makes his home decor debut at Wal-Mart. The complete collection is available through December at 1,100 Wal-Mart stores, with remaining locations carrying some SKUs.The Csquared line receives a full gondola with endcaps in the home department containing items packaged with a gift box, ribbon and card. Accompanying signs bear Cowie's recipes and entertaining tips. Rather than traditional red and green, the creative mirrors the collection with a contemporary holiday color scheme of silver and purple.Meanwhile, Wal-Mart has personified its annual "Toyland" holiday merchandising by introducing Wally and Marty, cartoon elves who quit Santa's workshop to build innovative toys. The elves have been featured in TV spots, 3-D theatrical trailers and a Toyland web site, where kids build a holiday wish list that is shipped to parents and relatives. The elves also headlined a November circular devoted to Wal-Mart's toy selection and appear on seasonal endcap and pallet headers in Action Alley and the toy department.Other holiday initiatives include an Action Alley gondola for exclusive merchandise from Mattel's Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses line and a baking center and stocking stuffers department. The retailer also (somewhat controversially) has reinstated the word "Christmas" in some promotional activity, such as designating its seasonal department "The Christmas Shop."Bentonville, AR-based Wal-Mart operates 1,100 stores and 2,176 supercenters nationwide.

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