the current Walmart slogan goes as, “Save Money, Live Better.”
Founded in 1962, Walmart has indeed served people impressively over the years, making them save a ton on their regular expenses. Today, the company has more than 11,500 stores globally, and also flaunts robust digital presence in multiple countries. Its branding strategies has also been diverse yet catering to the common theme – To help people buy quality stuff at the most affordable rates.
Can anything be simpler than this slogan to explain what Walmart is all about? Guess, no!
The previous slogan too resonated with the company’s vision: “Always low prices. Always.”
In fact, all Walmart slogans since its initial marketing days stuck to the primary mission of the company. Let’s dig deeper into the history of Walmart slogans and their impact on its branding.
“Save Money, Live Better” – The Mind Behind the Mood
Walmart has always released its slogans with each branding campaign. In 2007, the company wanted a break from the regular low-price themed taglines that it was using for a long time. It needed something fresh and warm without losing the common theme – Affordability.
And it got it right from the horse’s mouth, i.e., from a statement by the founder of Walmart, Sam Walton.
“If we can, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone, not just in America but we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better lifestyle and a better life… a better life for all.”
Walton gave this speech when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the former US President, George W. Bush in 1992.
Walmart carefully brought the entire intent of Walton in this speech in four words – “Save Money, Live Better”, thus creating a slogan that is in use up to this day.
Popularity and Relevance of the Walmart Slogan
Of course, the Walmart slogan is totally relevant to the brand’s core value, i.e., providing its customers the chance to save money shopping, without compromising on quality. Besides the discounted prices, the slogan also underlines the company’s mission to give everyone a fair chance at a better life. No wonder the tagline helped establish an emotional connection with the customers, thus enhancing its branding!
Note – Building an emotional connection with your branding slogans is mandatory. After all, it’s not only about the services/products that your audience cares about. We have all seen how brands made it big by building strong connections with their customers through their marketing slogans. E.g. – Coca Cola, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Nike.
Walmart has been a socially-responsible brand that always stood by its customers, be it lowering the prices of goods or donating to charities to improve living conditions. The underlying meaning of the phrase, “Save Money, Live Better”, extends beyond the store to enhance life as a whole. The company has engaged in several community programs to ensure everyone gets the chance to lead a “better life”.
Apart from these initiatives, Walmart has also advertised its slogan globally, on TV commercials, digital ads, billboards, posters, and so on. This widespread awareness has brought avid shoppers to its door (and its eCommerce store), looking forward to saving some extra bucks and reconditioning their lives.
“Always low prices. Always” – Walmart Slogan (1999-2007)
As mentioned above, the success of any branding strategy depends greatly on the emotional connections. Marketing slogans shouldn’t be an exception. However, if you check out all the previous Walmart slogan, you’ll notice a break in this tradition.
For example, the slogan of 1999 read as, “Always low prices. Always.”
Can you connect with this tagline emotionally? Not really, right?
Although the slogan remained loyal to the core theme of the brand, it somewhat failed to trigger an emotional response from the consumers. It was clear that the company sold stuff at low prices. And the truth is, every shopper loves discounts. But there was a certain gap that needed to be fulfilled – an emotional bond between the brand and its customers, who can look up to the former as something to enrich their lives, BESIDES offering high-quality products at low prices.
Customers needed to know “why” the “low prices” were so important, emotionally. It wasn’t that they couldn’t get it anywhere else. Why shopping at Walmart matters? It was this question that the slogan didn’t provide an answer to.
This silent question was resolved in the rebrand Walmart executed in 2007 with its new (and existing) marketing slogan – “Save Money, Live Better”.
Customers finally understood that Walmart offers their products at ‘low prices’ to help them ‘Save Money’ and use that money to improve their lives.
Hence, the emotional gap between Walmart and its customers was ultimately bridged.
Complaint Against Walmart Slogan (1994)
In 1994, the National Advertising Review Board issued a complaint against the slogan, “Always The Low Price. Always”. The complaint was originally raised by some of Walmart’s industry rivals, and the Better Business Bureau. The board concluded that the slogan was deceptive, as it meant that every product in Walmart was always available at the lowest rate, which was untrue.
The complaint was on the ground that the company was misleading its customers with the slogan, hence it had to be changed to – “Always low prices. Always Walmart.” According to some people, this was probably the moment that Walmart started rethinking its branding strategy, which was solely based on affordability.
Earlier Slogans of Walmart (1962-1999)
Since its inception, all the Walmart slogans are focused on low prices, which is somewhat degrading for the brand. A successful marketing slogan encompasses several other factors besides affordability.
Let’s consider the example of Taco Bell slogans that use wordplay and humor in a manner that immediately catches eyeballs. Further, the Mexican food chain makes sure that its slogans intrigue the mind besides appeasing the taste buds of its customers. Even McDonald’s slogans have always stood out for their freshness and fun element.
Walmart’s earlier slogans don’t give out any such vibe, as you can check below:
“Always Low Prices. Always.” – 1962-1988
Yes, it’s the same slogan that the company returned to after the complaint made by the National Advertising Review Board. And again in 1999, before it was finally changed in 2007. It was the first official Walmart slogan that emphasized on the company’s inherent affordability. This tagline has been repeated quite a few times in the company’s branding timeline, ultimately removed in 2007, for good.
“Always The Low Price. Always.” – 1988-1994
Little change was made to the previous slogan, keeping the theme intact. This Walmart slogan suffered a backlash when an official complaint of deception was raised against it in 1994. As a result, the company had to return to its previous slogan with just one change – adding the brand name.
“Always Low Prices. Always Walmart.” – 1994-1996
This revised slogan was around for some time but failed to create any major buzz. It was just the usual as per the customers’ reactions. People still shopped from the Walmart stores and enjoyed its ‘low prices’, but the branding didn’t add any extra value.
“Better Every Day Low Prices! Always.” – 1996-1999
Just a few alterations of the words, and the Walmart slogan of 1996 was released. Although the slogan was bland and redundant, the company deserves some appreciation for its consistency in branding slogans. It was “Always” about the “low prices” and nothing more.
“Always Low Prices. Always.” – 1999-2007
It’s unclear, at this point, if the company lacked a proper marketing team to create captivating slogans, or it didn’t care as it was getting the attention it needed. Some even argue that this Walmart slogan resonated with the brand’s core values the most, hence the repetition.
In 2007, Walmart revised its branding strategy completely and came up with the iconic slogan of today – “Save Money, Live Better”.
It didn’t end there. Walmart went out and about regarding its rebranding, offering up to 50% discounts on about 16,000 items in its stores. Within a few months, it recorded a 3.1% increase in sales in its US stores. Due to the robust ad campaign, Walmart shares went up by 2%. Not only that, but also the savings amounted to nearly $25,000 for many US families every year, a rise of 7.3% from that of 2004.
Over to You
The slogans of Walmart have always been about affordability till 2007, when its current slogan was released. The “Save Money, Live Better” campaign indeed helped the company shed its previous skin of branding failures and create a strong identity in the industry.
A brand needs to fulfill its customer’s expectations in marketing and advertising. It needs to build an emotional connection with its slogans. Until 2007, the Walmart slogans focused only on their primary mission – Offering quality products at low prices. However, after facing some backlashes, it revised its branding strategy and rectified its previous mistakes.
“Save Money, Live Better” is a call-out to everyone, who needs to improve their living conditions by preventing unnecessary expenses. And Walmart definitely helps achieve that goal.