Walmart's wide-reaching springtime marketing activity encompassed Easter and cleaning themes while incorporating an army of exclusive products.The in-store Easter focus included a dedicated upfront area comprising blue-hued ceiling banners, endcaps, pallets and gondola facings, the last made up of custom cut cases and headers bearing the logos of brands such as Hershey Co.’s Hershey’s Kisses and Ferrara Candy Co.’s Brach’s. The endcaps included a custom display from Hallmark Cards’ Connections from Hallmark.Action Alley was filled with price signs adorned with Easter headers, themed floorstands merchandising gift cards, and the retailer’s standard “Bake Center” gondolas. In the grocery department, standees touted private-label Sam’s Choice ham as “Best Tasting.” (The product also was showcased on the front page of Walmart’s March 24 circular.) Easter activation also reached the personal care aisle via custom pallet displays from brands such as Colgate-Palmolive’s Colgate and Newell Rubbermaid’s Goody.The blue P-O-P materials extended to a spring-cleaning program through custom pallet displays from brands such as SC Johnson’s Pledge, Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles; Clorox Co.’s Pine-Sol and Clorox; Reckitt-Benckiser’s Lysol; and Procter & Gamble’s Swiffer. The bilingual displays all sported a "Say Hello to Spring” theme, with some (and not just the SCJ displays) carrying tearpads presenting a shopping list of brand-name and generic cleaning items on one side and $3 worth of coupons for the aforementioned SCJ brands on the other.Brands supplying these account-specific displays received feature support in Walmart’s March 3 circular — the kickoff for the retailer's spring-themed print activity. A spread showcasing cleaning brands employed graphics from the displays; a full-page feature touting children’s personal care products from Goody, Colgate and Unilever’s Suave Kids as “Easter surprises at surprisingly low prices” depicted the actual displays.In a value-focused merchandising program reminiscent of Target’s upfront “See. Spot. Save” section (see “Marketing at Target” at right), Walmart's springtime P-O-P plan also involved a “Dollar Station” pallet train stocking everything from soap to kitchen utensils.In some stores, the trains included a green, Easter-themed half-pallet from DreamWorks’ VeggieTales video franchise promoting an exclusive offer for a free puzzle packaged with The Little House That Stood home video (which rolled out on March 5). A co-op FSI on March 3 supported the deal (see “’VeggieTales’ Walmart …” in Related Promotional Activity), while a co-op ad in the April issue of Meredith Corp.'s Parents touted the video as a way to “Fill Your Basket with Veggies.”Other exclusives promoted amidst the seasonal activity included:a unique flavor from Mars Inc.’s M&M’s. Not to be outdone by Target’s exclusive white chocolate SKU (see “Target Leaves …” in Related Articles), Walmart secured its own white chocolate carrot cake flavor. An Easter-themed co-op ad in the Feb. 17 issue of Parade touted the flavor. (See “M&M’s Walmart ..." in Related Promotional Activity.) A similar ad also ran in the March issue of Time Inc.’s All You.the return of an exclusive five-pack of Hershey’s Cadbury creme eggs (see “Walmart Keeps Hopping”), which was plugged in a Smart Network ad and multiple front-page circular features. Another themed Smart Network ad touted ConAgra Foods' Reddi-wip in one of the few seasonal activations employing Walmart's ongoing "More for your money" theme. (See "Walmart Makes ...")multiple Lalaoopsy mermaid dolls from MGA Entertainment, featured in a March 17 circular dedicated entirely to Easter. Banner ads on walmart.com and in a March 14 email blast supported.a home gift set of Universal Pictures’ Les Miserables containing a 20-song CD. A feature in the March 17 tab supported. In stores, security wrap ads promised access to a Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert on Vudu (see “Walmart Turns On …”) with pre-purchase of the March 26 release.Warner Bros.’ The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey home video packaged with a Blu-ray book. A feature in the March 17 circular supported. Before the video’s March 19 release, in-store shelf signs solicited pre-orders by promising exclusive content on Vudu (like a collectible 3D card).a “white pizza” flavor of Nestlé’s new DiGiorno’s Pizzeria frozen line and Easter bags of assorted Mars candy, both plugged in the March 17 tab.a new peanut butter variety of Nestlé’s Drumstick ice cream, a deluxe version of Stoney Creek Records duo Thompson Square’s Just Feels Good on CD in advance of its March 26 release, a “molten hot dog” character for Activision’s Skylanders: Giants (see “Walmart Stages …”) and a My Little Pony 10-inch plush from Hasbro Inc. — all promoted in the March 24 circular. a unique flavor of Nestlé's Edy's Outshine frozen treats and two Betty Crocker SKUs from General Mills (pink vanilla frosting and brownie mix packaged with the frosting), both touted in the March 27 tab.Largely devoted to Easter, the March 24 circular also presented offers of $10 or $25 in store gift cards with purchase of select Meyer Corp.'s Rachael Ray cookware, and $20 cards with purchase of a 10-inch Samsung Galaxy Tablet 2 or select Nintendo Wii U consoles and bundles.Meanwhile, the March 27 tab was completely dedicated to Easter with an emphasis on food, including six recipes promoting brands such as ConAgra Foods' Pam and Reddi-wip, Pinnacle Foods' Duncan Hines, Kraft Foods Group's Kraft, General Mills' Pillsbury, Hillshire Brands' Jimmy Dean, H.J. Heinz Co.'s Ore-Ida, AgroFarma Brands' Chobani and Daisy Brand's Daisy.Elsewhere, Walmart ran mobile ads within The New York Post's iPhone application, according to Mobile Commerce Daily. The ads expanded to present an “Easter Egg Game” that had participants tapping eggs while avoiding Easter bunnies that popped out of the ground. Tapping an egg revealed one of five logos: Mars or its Starburst brand, Hershey’s Reese’s or Cadbury, or Nestlé’s SweeTarts. At the end of the game, a call-to-action invited players to find Easter ideas at Walmart and linked to a themed section of walmart.com.The retailer’s seasonal webpage provided links to e-commerce pages arranged in categories such as “Apparel,” “Candy & Gift Baskets” and “Toys"; recipes for “the perfect Easter meal"; and a “Candy Connection” page that helped visitors determine their unique candy personalities. Each “personality” was sponsored by a different brand: Reese’s for “Classic,” Brach’s for “Tutti Frutti,” M&M’s for “Peanut Butter & Chocoholic,” Nestlé for “Bunny & Friends,” Starburst for “Trendsetter” and Hershey’s for “Egg-stra Special Easter Hunt.” Participants could print a shopping list or add any of the items directly to their online shopping cart.Walmart.com also hosted a brand page for Just Born Inc.'s Peeps boasting about yet another product exclusive: a new “party cake” flavor in honor of the brand’s 60th anniversary. The page continues to invite visitors to “Customize your favorite flavor and vote it into Walmart stores,” letting participants dress up differently colored Peeps to represent a vote for grape, sour apple, fruit punch, blue raspberry or sour cherry. A corresponding gallery depicts the creations while linking to the brand's Pinterest page. Another link connects to recipes and crafts incorporating Peeps within the brand’s own website.Regional radio spots, TV spots with price-comparison themes, Facebook updates and digital ads on various websites rounded out the springtime marketing plan.