• Ad Age, Monday, June 8, 2009 11:15 AM

Age's headline, "Walmart Is Getting Serious About Marketing," has to send shivers down the spines of competitors who've been under the impression that the retail juggernaut hasn't been kidding around for some time. But Jack Neff says that Wal-Mart executives know that they face a challenge retaining customers who have traded down to the retailer during the recession and that is forcing it to become a better marketer and merchandiser.

For one thing, the company has invested heavily in market research, polling more than a million customers monthly directed to its website from its stores. "I think it's showing how marketing is making a really big difference to a company that maybe didn't take it as seriously as they do today," says CMO Stephen Quinn. "I think marketing is at the forefront of championing the customer internally and doing something about it."

Perhaps the most obvious evidence of this is the "Save Money. Live Better" ad campaign from the Martin Agency. But Quinn is equally proud of implementing a customer-segmentation model, stepping up marketing analytics and building up the talent pool in the marketing department.

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