As a sponsor of the 89th Oscars®, Walmart will unveil its new campaign, “Behind Every Receipt, There’s a Great Story,” during the retailer’s first-ever sponsorship of the Oscars.
Instead of a script, the company has chosen well known directors to create an ad around a Walmart receipt with 6 items: Bananas, paper towels, batteries, a scooter, wrapping paper, and a video baby monitor
“Walmart has always been known for saving our customers money, but that’s not all we’re about,” wrote Kirsten Evans, SVP – Corporate Marketing, Walmart. “We also want to be a part of the ways the people who shop with us live better.”
She added: “One of the ways we can do this is by being a part of the big cultural moments that are important to our customers and giving them something fun to enjoy.”
Walmart tapped Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Neighbors), Antoine Fuqua (Southpaw, The Magnificent Seven), and Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, The Kite Runner and sent them each a Walmart receipt with the same six items and asked, could they create with a short film based on just these items.
‘”When I first heard the idea I was truly inspired,” said Marc Forester, in a behind the scenes video.
“My first reaction when I heard about the project was ‘there’s no way they are actually going to follow through with this whole thing,” added Evan Goldberg.
Walmart is also using this sponsorship to support the art of film in another way. They are donating to The Academy Grants Program for FilmCraft, a educational program that identifies and empowers future filmmakers from nontraditional backgrounds.
“Our Oscars campaign celebrates creativity and storytelling, and we felt it was important to not only support filmmaking on the industry’s biggest night, but to lend support to future filmmakers,” said Tony Rogers, chief marketing officer, Walmart U.S, in a statement. “Every day our customers are telling stories with their receipts. We are proud to support the Academy’s educational programs to further empower film students from diverse backgrounds to tell their stories.”
Here are the three short films that aired Sunday during the Oscars:
