Wal-Mart enters the ad age

Long envied for its logistical prowess, the big-box retailer is learning the power of marketing. (Fortune Magazine) -- If you've been watching TV lately, you may have come across Wal-Mart's new back-to-school ad. It features a well-scrubbed teenager wearing the California surf brand Op, as her Everymom exults that the giant retailer satisfied her daughter's fashion cravings without breaking the family bank. On the surface the spot doesn't look radically different from the company's advertising in years past. But its creation, part of Wal-Mart's "Save money. Live better" campaign, is a result of dramatic changes taking place behind the scenes. Wal-Mart famously amassed its daunting market share by using sophisticated systems for logistics and operations. By contrast, its marketing was always something of a backwater, and the... [read full story]