By George Anderson
If NBC is "Must See TV," then Wal-Mart's has the "Can't Help But See TV" network in its stores, especially since it began replacing the small sets it used to have suspended over shoppers' heads with 42-inch high-definition models.
A report in the New York Times says, with 130 million viewers watching it every four weeks, Wal-Mart TV is the fifth largest network in the U.S. behind the broadcast giants NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox.
According to a study conducted by Nielsen Media Research, shoppers in Wal-Mart stores spent an average of seven minutes per visit watching the televisions in the stores.
This is especially good news for advertisers on the Wal-Mart network who pay up to $292,000 to air a single commercial over a four-week period.
A number of advertisers such as Frito-Lay have been increasing their budget for Wal-Mart TV. Haston Lewis, a vice president at Frito-Lay, said, "We want to be on the cutting edge of identifying and leveraging the most effective vehicles to capture consumers. The reality is, unlike 40 or 50 years ago, more and more of your customers are shopping at Wal-Mart. So they have become a new medium to reach consumers."
Moderator's Comment: What is your view on the upside potential and limits of Wal-Mart's television network and other in-store marketing vehicles used in other outlets?
The desire of marketers to find a way to cut through the advertising clutter and more directly influence consumer shopping behavior is not something new.
As a result, many are looking to communicate selling messages to consumers as close to the point of purchasing decision as possible through a variety of in-store marketing vehicles. In a recent RetailWire Instant Poll (see RW 2/16/05, Consumers Hate Spam But Buy Anyway), 64 percent of respondents said in-store marketing was the most effective means for creating a direct response from consumers. - George Anderson - Moderator