Pondering Wal-Mart (and Target, for that matter)

February 10, 2009

I have spent an inordinate amount of time over the last month pondering phenomenon of Wal-Mart, its growth and its enormous reach.  I’m not going to say why. Sometimes things in advertising must remain confidential because it is SO DARNED IMPORTANT.

Nevertheless, as I toiled with my colleague from Los Angeles, Jefferson Burruss, he showed me something really interesting about Wal-Mart.  Check this out, it’s by the folks at FlowingData and maps the growth of Wal-Mart over the years.

walmart-mapNow, just for shits and giggles, let’s take a look at Target and how it grew.  Take a look here.  I just think it’s interesting how these companies have taken off. The rate of growth is different, for sure, but so is the geography.  Probably explains a lot about why these  brands are perceived differently in different parts of the country — and by different demographics.

Oh, there are a lot of things we could talk about with these tow companies, but I’m going to skip that and just marvel at the growth stories illustrated here.