This holiday season, Walmart isn’t just selling gifts—it’s selling pure, unadulterated whimsy. Leveraging a continued expansion of its “Who Knew?” messaging, the retailer has unveiled “Walmart’s WhoKnewVille,” an immersive, Dr. Seuss-inspired world. This blend of pop culture and problem-solving is captured in the brand’s “Who Knew: Top Brand Gifts” :90 spot.
With a tagline set to The Who’s “Who Are You,” the ad immediately grabs attention, transporting viewers to a cartoonishly colorful town reminiscent of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. But the real magic isn’t just the velvet-voiced narrator or Mindy Lou Who’s swirly hair; it’s the message: Who knew you could find coveted gifts like Apple AirPods, Nespresso coffee machines, and Michael Kors apparel at Walmart? This core message, combined with a focus on seamless shopping via the Walmart app, has clearly resonated.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the :90 spot.
The Details:
- The :90 holiday anthem, “Who Knew,” was a resounding success with American consumers, scoring significantly above one-year discount store norms across every creative KPI metric. A top decile performer across the board, particular strengths were seen in Attention (97th percentile), Likeability (95th percentile), Information, and Change (96th percentile):
- Despite the longer length clocking in at :90, “Who Knew: Top Brand Gifts” still ranked in the 90th percentile on Watchability, a testament to the entertainment value delivered. In fact, top decile response was achieved across every age/gender segment, leading to a professed purchase intent of 61% Top 2 Box intent (vs. 49% norm).
- The characters and visuals were both drivers of the entertainment value while effectively delivering relevant information – and reminding nearly nine in ten of the Walmart brand linked to the messaging.
- Despite the longer length clocking in at :90, “Who Knew: Top Brand Gifts” still ranked in the 90th percentile on Watchability, a testament to the entertainment value delivered. In fact, top decile response was achieved across every age/gender segment, leading to a professed purchase intent of 61% Top 2 Box intent (vs. 49% norm).
- Within the 2025 Walmart holiday campaign, this :90 ad and the “Town Crier” :30 are the clear top performers to date:
- The :30 “Town Crier” landed far more positively than the :15 “Who Knew” execution and persuaded more successfully.
- However, the :90 sparked the strongest intent among past year holiday ads – both Walmart and Target – reviewed here.
- The :30 “Town Crier” landed far more positively than the :15 “Who Knew” execution and persuaded more successfully.
Vs. Select Walmart and Target Holiday Ads 2024:
- The impressive purchase intent notched by the :90 was led by a 35% much more likely score, which also outperformed HomeGoods (brand effort to find unique items at great prices), Burlington (redesigned stores), and Marshalls (brand effort to find consumer deals on quality brands) ads of the past 90 days.
Vs. Select Walmart and Target Holiday Ads 2024:
- Second-by-second trace reflects the immediate engagement afforded by the Dr. Seuss collaboration:
- Viewer sentiment on the :90 anthem points to the Grinch/Whoville connection as the key success factor in the creative. Playing on nostalgia as intended, viewers also called out the “Who Knew/Whoville” wordplay as resonating very well.
- The “Who Knewville” concept created immediate holiday associations and warm feelings while delivering distinctiveness to drive memorability.
- Moreover, the “Who KnewVille” messaging was also well cemented as comments reflected surprise at name-brand availability/discovery of higher-end merchandise as well as appreciation for one-stop holiday shopping.
- Of course, some objected to the longer length of the ad expressing impatience but for many, the high production value and aesthetics kept them watching (at least upon first view).
- As mentioned above, the :30 “Town Crier” while not quite as persuasive, will serve as a strong follow-on/reminder ad to aid in budget optimization while delivering enough of the positives of the concept to connect positively.
- Viewer sentiment on the :90 anthem points to the Grinch/Whoville connection as the key success factor in the creative. Playing on nostalgia as intended, viewers also called out the “Who Knew/Whoville” wordplay as resonating very well.
Sample comments on “Who Knew: Top Brand Gifts” :90
“Absolutely loved this ad based on the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Who knew Whoknewville is very clever as an ad for Walmart. Pure joy!”
Female 50+
“It was fabulous! I love How the Grinch Stole Christmas so for Walmart to make a commercial in Whoville is awesome.”
Male 21-35
“Going into the holiday season, I love that you made it similar to the Grinch. In my opinion, the Grinch is a classic. I watched it every year when I was a kid with my family. Now that I’m an adult, I still watch the Grinch every year with my brother. It brought back memories of watching the Grinch with my family all those years. It just feels more like Christmas with this comparison. Definitely a good holiday ad.”
Female 21-35
“It was very clever, and yes, Walmart is definitely moving in a new direction. The fact they are carrying name brand stuff nowadays is going to be a huge plus for them.”
Male 36-49
“Besides the characters in the ad, the music/presentation was well done. But more than that, with the holidays coming up, just expressing the gift selection that Walmart offers is exceptional.”
Female 36-49
“The ad seems pretty interesting and entertaining, which makes the message about Walmart easy to understand and it made me feel good.”
Male 21-35
“Good ad with a lot of useful information about Walmart. However, it was quite long and I got a little bored.”
Male 21-35
“I really enjoyed it, a take from the Grinch. But the set, music and people were very entertaining. It showed how much Walmart has for products that are the same as high-end stores. I have shopped at Walmart numerous times, but I will be doing more Christmas shopping there this year.”
Female 50+
“I love the ad. It popped with color. And the characters were cute and funny. It really caught my attention and the best part is it was about Walmart. I would definitely watch it again.”
Female 36-49
“I like this ad because it demonstrates all of the items you can get at Walmart and relates to the classic children’s story we know for Christmas.”
Male 36-49
“Beautiful scenery. Makes you want to start Christmas shopping. The gift items were very upscale and desirable. Love the take of ‘Who Knew,’ when relating to the Who’s.”
Female 50+
- iSpot media measurement reports a slight favoring of the :30 “Town Crier” over the :15 “Who Knew: Top Brand Gifts” on linear over the most recent two weeks through 11/2/25:
- Consumer intent suggests considering a further shift of budget against the :30 and/or the :90 anthem where feasible. For campaigns built on narrative and character, shorter cutdowns can risk destroying the ad’s effectiveness. The media investment in the :90 version could be justified by its superior performance.
- Although the :90 anthem spurred the strongest consideration, “Town Crier” ranks as the best-received discount store ad of the past year, justifying spend particularly if viewer fatigue becomes an issue.
- Consumer intent suggests considering a further shift of budget against the :30 and/or the :90 anthem where feasible. For campaigns built on narrative and character, shorter cutdowns can risk destroying the ad’s effectiveness. The media investment in the :90 version could be justified by its superior performance.
- Comparing the top ten discount store ads over the past year, spots driving even higher intent than the new Walmart holiday anthem focused on deal/value to consumers – a key touchpoint for this year (that future iterations in this campaign are intended to address as well):
The “Who Knew: Top Brand Gifts” :90 spot is proving to be a holiday success. Effectively using the nostalgic, Seussian WhoKnewVille concept drives home the message that Walmart offers both top brands and budget-friendly solutions.
Schedule a demo to find out how your brand can partner with iSpot to quickly solve both challenges simultaneously, delivering high-performing creative while boosting the effectiveness of planning and in-market execution to achieve—and outperform—campaign objectives.
Creative Agency: Lightbox Creative