Walmart: Greenlight a vet

Opportunity

Walmart employs more veterans than any other business in America. But how could Walmart enlist its millions of customers as allies, sending a clear message to the veteran community that we all care?

Insight

For a civilian, turning on your porch light is a neighborly act, welcoming guests and contributing to the safety of the community. But for a veteran that same porch light makes them feel unwelcome and unsafe—even unable to come outdoors. Because, in a combat zone, white lights at night give away your location and make you a target to the enemy.

Idea

The simple act of changing our porch lights from white to green—the color of lights on military bases and night vision, the color of the military, and the color of hope—makes our veterans feel safe to come out and more hopeful knowing that there are allies next door.

To kick it off, we ran a :60 spot on Veteran’s Day during the World Series.

We created special bulbs, 100 of which were sent to influencers.

The simple act of changing a light bulb spread to homes and monuments throughout the country.

Results

·      1.6 billion media impressions

·      400+ media stories

·      94% positive brand sentiment

·      Estimated 8+ million lights glowing green

·      Won an Effie for effectiveness in advertising

·      Credited as one of the factors for Walmart's surprising appearance as top-10 favorite brands among miliennials

·      Single largest veteran support movement in U.S. history 

Media