Wal-Mart's New Targets

Printer-friendly versionSend by email

Latinos, African-Americans, baby boomers, high-income and rural shoppers -- Wal-Mart wants you. Those are the key communities identified in a six-page document that outlines Wal-Mart's future marketing plans. The giant retailer is reviewing its marketing strategy, due to slow growth. The document asks advertising agencies to describe how they would handle Wal-Mart's $570 million account. It suggests that Wal-Mart's "nontraditional media, in-store marketing, customer-relationship management and loyalty programs" may increase." One goal is to get the "selective Wal-Mart shopper" to buy more at the store. Wal-Mart is asking ad agencies "to help the company better understand the diverse needs of its customers in order to create more compelling reasons to cross-shop the store and drive loyalty." The retailer is expected to choose four agencies, which will work together in what it calls its "dream team."