Walmart Launches Holiday Campaign to Win Premium Shoppers
Retailers should track how the shift toward high-profile creative and rapid delivery impacts competitive holiday spending.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Retail
Live Poll
Does a retailer's holiday marketing campaign make you more likely to shop there this season?
Walmart has launched a holiday marketing campaign featuring characters from The Muppet Christmas Carol and actor Walton Goggins. The campaign promotes the retailer's 30-minute Express Delivery service while aiming to attract higher-income shoppers during the holiday season.
Why it matters
The retailer is utilizing this campaign to unify its 'Who Knew?' brand platform and shift consumer perception toward a more style-forward image. This strategy attempts to capitalize on projected 10% year-over-year retail holiday spending growth.
Walmart reported fiscal Q2 revenue of $187.9 billion, a 5.9% increase, with e-commerce sales now accounting for one-quarter of U.S. total volume. The company is leaning on these digital channels to support its Express Delivery service, which promises fulfillment in 30 minutes or less.
The players
Walmart
A global mass-market retailer operating large-scale brick-and-mortar stores and a significant U.S. e-commerce division.
Walton Goggins
An actor featured as the central character in the retailer's 2026 holiday campaign.
Publicis Groupe
A multinational advertising and communications conglomerate that managed the creation of the campaign.
Target
A major U.S. general merchandise retailer and primary competitor in the holiday shopping segment.
The details
The campaign, developed with Publicis Groupe agencies, centers on a long-form video featuring actor Walton Goggins as Ebenezer Scrooge. The strategy focuses on diversifying the brand's reach across broadcast TV, streaming, social media, and podcasts to reach higher-income demographics. By emphasizing rapid delivery times alongside high-profile creative content, the company aims to sustain the momentum seen in its recent 24% year-over-year growth in e-commerce sales.
Timeline
Last year, Walmart launched the 'Who Knew?' brand platform.
Last week, Walmart teased the campaign in a social video.
October 26, 2026, marks the debut of the long-form campaign video.
Early November, Target begins ramping up holiday marketing.
November 13, the Ebenezer film lands in theaters.
Market Landscape
This campaign follows the trajectory of the 'Who Knew?' brand platform launched last year to move the retailer toward a more style-forward image. It marks a departure from traditional discount-focused holiday advertising to target higher-income segments amid rising retail spending projections.
Operators should monitor whether the retailer's shift toward high-cost creative production and rapid 30-minute delivery successfully captures premium consumer spend. The 10% expected holiday growth figure provides a benchmark for evaluating competitive demand in the upcoming quarter.
The takeaway
Large-scale holiday campaigns now rely on cross-channel integration to effectively compete for higher-income segments. Operators should monitor their own holiday marketing conversion rates against the industry-wide expectation of a 10% year-over-year increase in retail holiday spending.
What happens next
Walmart plans to release additional videos and social media content throughout Q4 to maintain engagement with the holiday campaign.
Further reading
For broader trends in holiday consumer spending, see the Retail section.
Live Poll
Does a retailer's holiday marketing campaign make you more likely to shop there this season?
