Walmart's Holiday-themed Rom-Com Seamlessly Blends Content and Shopping

During the holiday season, many people are captivated by romantic comedies. The Hallmark Channel, in particular, is filled with movies like “A Not So Royal Christmas,” “Christmas with a Kiss” and “My Norwegian Holiday.” Walmart is now testing a new campaign to see if this popular genre can inspire shopping. The campaign blends story-driven marketing content with shoppable capabilities, which Walmart has been focusing on as it adapts to the digital era.  

“This is the next step in our efforts to bring commerce to content, something we’ve been doing for the last few years,” said William White, the CMO of Walmart U.S. “It's important for us to shorten the distance between inspiration and purchase as part of our marketing journey.”

The retailer will soon launch a 23-part commercial series called “Add to Heart,” a play on the add-to-cart feature. The “RomCommerce” effort, available on TikTok, Roku, YouTube, and Walmart’s social channels, tells the story of Jessica, a New York designer who returns to her hometown and rekindles love with an old flame named Javi. What sets “Add to Heart” apart is the interactive shopping experience for viewers in search of gifts. The furniture and outfits featured in the series are shoppable, with orders fulfilled by Walmart. A total of 330 products are showcased, aiming to strike a balance of inspiration and impulse at an appealing price point. This ties into Walmart’s holiday messaging, which emphasizes value without being overt.

The "Add to Heart" feature is designed to appeal to a wide audience, but White recognized that certain consumers are drawn to connected commerce experiences. In recent years, Walmart's efforts to appeal to Gen Z have included shoppable holiday activations on TikTok, such as livestreams and partnerships with content creators. "Certainly, the demographic makeup of users on different platforms varies," White said. "However, I do believe that shoppable social environments are more popular among Gen Z and millennials than other demographics."

Bridging content and commerce

"Add to Heart" utilizes TikTok's interactive video format for shopping and Roku's Ok to Text function, allowing users to simply click a button on their remote to get more information about a product and complete a purchase. Walmart started testing out Roku's commerce-enabled CTV products last year.

TikTok's first-ever shoppable holiday series signifies the app's renewed focus on social commerce in the U.S. Walmart, in a press release, referenced Mintel data showing that 58% of American consumers are interested in shopping through social media this year. The "Add to Heart" episodes will be featured as paid ads on TikTok and will be accessible through a dedicated content hub on Roku. Viewers can follow Jessica and Javi's journey in full or watch individual episodes. The campaign was created in partnership with Publicis Groupe agencies, including Fallon, Publicis NY, The Community, Contender, and Digitas, as well as production partner Merman.

The initial episodes will be released on December 2, with subsequent releases on December 5 and December 8. An event on November 30 at Walmart will feature appearances from real-life couples who met at the store. The overall goal of the campaign is to not only drive sales during the crucial Q4 period but also to improve Walmart's positioning in the online market.

“When you speak with customers, the first thing they think of when you mention ‘Walmart’ is the store, which is fantastic and a tremendous asset for us,” the executive said. "However, we also want to emphasize that Walmart is also a digital destination for people."