Wal-Mart Ads Chase Better Shoppers

Bentonville, Ark. —Wal-Mart Stores has launched a series of 15-second TV commercials touting the “aspirational merchandise” available in its stores. The project is part of Wal-Mart's ongoing effort to sell more general merchandise to the better-heeled consumers who shop the store strictly for commodities.

Using the tag line “Look beyond the basics,” the TV and print ads are structured as testimonials in which fictitious customers recount how a trip to Wal-Mart for food or light bulbs resulted in the purchase of something unexpected — including trendy bedding, stylish dinnerware and a backyard firepit furniture set.

The nine ad spots will run on network and national cable stations. The print ads will appear in weekly magazines — a first for Wal-Mart — as well as monthly. Spots will also be broadcast on the radio, and the campaign will be backed up on-line.