Working Closely with Their Customer

Walmart often receives special attention from product marketers of all types. Leading manufacturers regularly run exclusive promotions at the mass merchant, many of which are recurring efforts.The strategy is a given for major home video and game releases. This winter, a partnership between PepsiCo and video game publisher Activision lets players of “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” unlock a custom digital in-game exoskeleton character enhancement when they purchase the game along with a Mountain Dew 24-pack or promotional package of Doritos at Walmart.The effort is receiving heavy in-store support. The permanent pallet displays Mountain Dew has in Action Alley are outfitted with signs plugging the promotion, as are endcaps stocking PepsiCo beverages. Upfront security wraps and violators positioned in the video game aisle also tout the promotion.The account-specific offer is an overlay to a national campaign that stocks various retailers with promotional packaging of the popular gamer “fuel,” yet Walmart is the only chain boasting an exclusive. The national packaging carries codes redeemable for additional in-game bonuses, many of which are being offered exclusively via the promotion through Feb. 15. Each code redeemed also enters players into a sweepstakes awarding Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox One console.Activision released “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” on Nov. 4, 2014, though Walmart was among retailers that began selling the title one day earlier. The retailer also hosted in-store events spanning early-play tournaments and giveaways at some 2,800 locations starting at 10 p.m. on Nov. 2. Also, on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, Walmart offered 50% more for shoppers trading in any used video game with purchase of the title or Sony’s PlayStation 4.Previously, PepsiCo tied in to the November 2013 launch of Xbox One by stocking Walmart shelves with an exclusive, limited-edition Doritos “Gamer Pack” boasting a resealable, wide-opening bag designed specifically for video gamers.Additionally, in spring of 2014, custom pallet displays from Frito-Lay merchandised Walmart-exclusive packages of chips that contained codes providing a free three-day trial subscription to the Xbox Live Gold service.Kellogg Co.Kellogg is also tying in to a new video game release for a Walmart exclusive. Promotional packages of Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops carry Kellogg’s Family Rewards codes redeemable for a free one-day Redbox game rental of Ubisoft’s “Just Dance 2015.”Earlier this winter, special packages of the same cereals delivered codes redeemable for a collectible branded cereal bowl.Meanwhile, promotional packages of Pop-Tarts, Krave, Frosted Flakes, Frosted Mini-Wheats and Froot Loops carried codes good for $5 off Sony Pictures’ “The Amazing Spider-Man” via the retailer’s Vudu streaming service. With three or six codes, participants could also earn “Concession Cash” or “Movie Cash,” respectively, from TPG Rewards, New York.Kellogg regularly leverages its loyalty program for exclusive incentives at Walmart, and annually offers “super codes” redeemable for a free book through a partnership with Scholastic Inc. during the school year.Coca-Cola Co.Coca-Cola has earned annual upfront placement for a dump bin during the holidays by supplying exclusive seasonal “orb packaging” of its flagship-brand soda.The seasonal effort is just one of Coca-Cola’s many collaborations with the retailer, the biggest of which is the ongoing “Effortless Meals” program that pairs private-label Marketside prepared foods with Coca-Cola beverages.Nestlé PurinaNestlé’s Purina this winter launched a holiday “Treat Catcher” digital game offering a chance to win free Purina treats. An FSI supported the effort, which was the latest in a steady supply of seasonal, digital content from the manufacturer.Procter & GambleEarlier in 2013, P&G kept Walmart pink throughout October. Like many other retailers, the mass merchant has cut down on Breast Cancer Awareness Month activity, but it continues to accept an overlay to Pantene’s “Beautiful Lengths” program. The custom incentive in fall of 2014 delivered up to $50 back on salon services (in the form of a Citibank gift card) to consumers who purchased Pantene and donated a ponytail. The American Cancer Society distributes wigs made out of the hair to cancer patients.The program earned Pantene placement for a custom endcap display and a full-page feature in the retailer’s circular. Simultaneously, Swiffer deployed a pallet display in Action Alley touting its support of nonprofit Cleaning for a Reason (which Walmart also sponsors) and Crest supplied an endcap promoting P&G’s participation in the National Football League’s “A Crucial Catch” campaign, which focuses on early detection.

Working Closely with Their Customer

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