Walmart and Ad Video Demographics

Have you seen some of these recent Walmart steak commercials? The Dallas one seems like it's in heavy rotation on my TV. What I'm struck by every time this thing runs is the casting and the production quality, the look and feel of this commercial.

The 'guests' at this 'steak-over' event are not beautiful models or 'elegant restaurant guests on a special night out'. Instead, the casting looks like they found a pool of extraordinarily average people. It's like they specifically went casting at the local church picnic or, as funny as it might sound, the local Walmart. Put simply, the commercial feels like it was shot by Walmart customers for Walmart customers.

From the 'host' to the lighting and the video, this commercial feels like it might have been put together by a local video company, not by a slick, high-end corporate marketing team crafting television advertising for one of the worlds leading retailers. And, in a way, that's what I think makes this such an interesting piece. This isn't an accident. This is design. Walmart didn't just get stuck with some crappy, poorly produced advertising, this is a campaign.