Walmart’s Whoville-Inspired Ads Tackle Holiday Chaos With Cheer

Every Who down in “WhoKnewVille” struggles with holiday chaos, but an unexpected savior is sweeping in to save the season.

Walmart’s holiday campaign, launched today (Oct. 26), reimagines Dr. Seuss’s whimsical world of Whoville, the setting for the classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, through a collaboration with Dr. Seuss Enterprises. 

Called WhoKnewVille, Walmart’s version resembles the Grinch’s hometown, with magic in the air and residents sporting their signature exaggerated hairstyles. However, their cheer is dimmed by the pressures of holiday preparations—much like it is for Walmart customers, William White, Walmart’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, told ADWEEK.

“The holidays are a time of joy, but also a time of stress,” he said.

In the ads, the retailer positions itself as a stress reliever, as Mindy Lou Who, the Grinch, and other Whos find the perfect gifts on Walmart’s app.

The campaign includes 50 “WhoKnewVille” executions playing out over the season, mirroring the consumer holiday journey—from gift searches to Black Friday deals to last-minute shopping. Starting with Sunday Night Football tonight, it will have prominent placements across YouTube, social media, ecommerce, influencer partnerships, and more.

It was developed by Publicis Groupe agencies including Fallon, Leo NY, the Community, Contender, and Digitas.

Changing customer perceptions

The campaign continues Walmart’s “Who Knew” platform, which debuted in June with an ad starring actor Walton Goggins, under the premise: “Who knew Walmart had all of this?” That campaign followed a major brand refresh and new logo in January. 

“Earlier this year, we recognized we’d made a lot of progress in our business and how we serve customers, but customer perception had not caught up to that progress,” White said. 

Under the new platform, Walmart is trying to drive awareness of its digital and mobile shopping experiences, breadth of products online, express delivery, and membership program. 

The holiday campaign continues toward those same goals, with the Whos using Walmart’s app to shop for gifts and find deals, all in the nick of time for Christmas.