WalMart: Creative Geniuses or Insane Clown Posse?

Have you seen the new WalMart ad for childrens' birthday party supplies? Here it is:  

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Pretty out there, right? I mean, if you think about WalMart's core customer, moms, does portraying a situation in which kids are traumatized by a screaming, impaled clown an image that will create greater brand equity? 

Or is this yet another in the long line of "creative" spots that looks great on an ad director's reel but does nothing positive for the brand? I think it's the latter but I'm very interested in your opinion. 

Which is it: creative geniuses or insane clown posse?

Comments

[Curt]

As I said on Twitter, I was so distracted by the screaming clown (laughing to the point of tears in my eyes) that I didn't even notice what they were selling. It was too distracting. This would have made a marvelous segment in a comedy sketch (for grown-ups only perhaps) but as an ad spot.... umm, no.

I have to admit, though, that when I took a second look at what they were actually selling here, I laughed even more.

[Tom Guarriello]

First time I saw it, I sat, stunned, with dropped jaw. Certainly has stopping power that most ads lack. I turned to my wife and said, "did you see that?" She hadn't. I rewound the TiVo and we watched it again. We looked at each other in silence with "WTF" written all over our faces.

That's when I had a thought: maybe I'm getting too old for this shit!

Thanks, Curt!

[Vinny]

I laughed my ass off for at least ten minutes after seeing this one, went back and watched it again.

It was HYSTERICAL.

Without watching it again, I think the point of the ad is that they saved enough money at Wal-Mart to hire the clown, so it wasn't really a product-specific ad.

Either way, I haven't laughed as hard as I did here in a really long time. I thought the ad was brilliant.

[Mike Pooposterous]

It's kind of horrifying, not to mention ear-splitting, and will cause lots of terrified parents to run in to many a living-room or den to determine which of their teens or guests was just impaled by a deadly sword-weilding ninja.

That won't stop people from shopping at WalMart, but it will leave them cursing and stressed.

[Tom Guarriello]

Yeah, I'm sure the sales pitch to the brand was "clowns-are-creepy, and the hipster hyperhumor will rub off on you" but the horrifying images/sounds don't strike me as all that likely to increase WM's emotional bonding Q scores! Thanks, Mike.

[Sandy]

Thought it was funny. My husband cracks up every time he sees it. He thinks it is great!

[Esther Crawford]

I personally enjoy commercials like that. But like @Cecily said on Twitter - I'm weird. :)

[Tom Guarriello]

Thanks for your thoughts, Sandy. Interesting division of opinion on this. Many, like you and your husband really think it's hilarious, others are appalled. I'm not surprised by that division 'cause it's definitely out there, which is what I'm sure the WM marketing folks were shooting for.

[Kristin Kullman]

After laughing at it the first time (the silver unicorn stuck in my head as an emblem of my childhood) I didn't want to see it again and left the room when it came back on again. I am not a fan of clowns...

And then it got me thinking of all the money people waste on having the matchy matchy crap for kid birthday parties and got mad they are still selling that crap and people are still wasting their money on it. (I have fallen victim to this phenomenon too.)

I also had a conversation (a live in person convo) with a mom the same afternoon that it was perfectly acceptable to buy the normal sized paper plates with Sesame Street characters on them from the regular paper plate aisle and not the ones from the party supply aisle that cost quadruple. That way you could still see the characters on the edges of the big plate when the cake was on the plate.

[Heidi]

Creepy clown commercials seem to be a trend recently. Have you seen this one from USPS?

http://64.15.120.233/watch?v=oKGKB5bc9DU

[Tom Guarriello]

@Esther, LOL, you edgy grrls love the rad!

@Kristin, love how you got beyond the imagery to the underlying consumption message!

@Heidi, no, I hadn't seen that! Holy smokes. OK, I'm calling that a trend!

[twitter.com/bullmeister]

Call me an edgy grrl, but I thought it was funny too. =)

Maybe not exactly on target with the brand, but I've seen much worse. For humor, though, it was pretty good!

[Penny Stocks]

Nice and excellent blog to read and learn. Thanks

[Tom Guarriello]

@bullmeister, well, we know you're an edgy grrl! I certainly get the skateboarder humor of the ad, but it just seems so weird for the brand. And, in the context of all this "green" stuff they're advertising and then this...that, my grrl, is confusing! Thanks for stoppin' by!

[mP27ELLA]

If I were you, I will notice experienced freelance writers to receive a lot of good enough invastigation connecting to this good post!

[Dustin Schmidt]

Wallmart appears to be going through a re-branding phase, looking to appeal more to dads. Every time I see this ad I crack up just like with the Burger King "I like Square Butts" spot. The important question is does it drive sales? We'll have to see...

[Tom Guarriello]

I think your insight about WM's re-branding to appeal to dads is right on. And, of course, the question definitely is: will it drive sales? I'm skeptical...but, we'll see.

Thanks for dropping by.

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