Resources

Who Won the Week? 11/8/23: Walmart Launches Opening Salvo in Battle for Black Friday

Written by EDO Team | November 8, 2023

The holiday shopping season is underway, and we’re talking all about it on Who Won the Week?, EDO’s weekly sports and advertising video series.

If you spent the weekend watching NFL games, you might have noticed that Walmart launched the opening salvo in the Battle for Black Friday with a new ad that reunites cast members from the hit 2004 comedy Mean Girls. According to EDO’s engagement measurement, it’s now Walmart’s most impactful ad of the NFL season to date.

On our show this week, EDO Media Analyst Matt Ulrich and veteran ad industry reporter Mike Shields (Next in Media) discussed the ad, as well as Walmart’s decision to make certain holiday deals available early and online. Plus, we look at the state of play as the retail giant goes up against Amazon ahead of the first-ever Black Friday NFL game on Amazon’s Prime Video service. 

In addition, Matt and Mike break down the ratings success of the NFL’s International Series, as well as a powerful ad from Adidas starring Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Timestamps:

(1:30) - International Series sets record rating for NFL Network

(2:45) - Walmart’s Mean Girls reunion kicks off holiday ad rush

(6:15) - Adidas ad starring Patrick Mahomes is brand’s most impactful ad of the year