Why Walmart's Generic Labeling is Pure Marketing Genius

Love them, or hate them, Walmart is definitely king when it comes to retail sales. With their huge edge when it comes to buying in large quantities, it's easy to see how they can sell their store brand products at a measurable savings over name brand products.

Great Value, Walmart's store brand, has become the indicator of better value for your money. Both because the quality is just as good as the high priced competition, and the price is measurably less.

Most budget conscientious shoppers gravitate to the Great Value name, fully aware that regardless of the lack luster labeling, they will save money. Something that is a high priority with the majority of families, especially in today's poor economy.

During the past year Walmart has slowly introduced a new color scheme throughout their grocery department. Both canned goods and boxed products have lost the back ground colors in their packaging, and gone to a solid white field emblazoned with their logo "Great Value" in large blue letters.

Was this a money savings move? At first one might think so as generally speaking the packaging now contains a smaller number of colors, and the printing involved could be considered much less intricate.

Being a long time consumer of Great Value products, the initial introduction of this new labeling scheme was down right annoying. The familiar illustrations vanished, and it took considerable effort to find certain canned goods among the sea of high priced brand names.

Slowly as the new labeling became more prevalent, as old stock rotated out the door, more and more items took on the new basic white with blue logo look.

All of the sudden it became easier to spot the Walmart Great Value brand product amongst the sea of colors. The white background of their label actually stands out on the shelf as a bright white flag drawing you to them.

Now that most Great Value products have changed over to the new look, finding your old money saving friends is a snap. When you come to the section for canned tomatoes you will see a variety of brands all with red labels. Makes sense, tomatoes are red of course.

But among this row upon row of red, there is a collection of plain white labels proudly declaring you can get your tomatoes sauced, pasted, diced, and stewed at a better price. Now your eye automatically goes to the white labeled goods, without even taking the time to focus on the other brand names.

Walmart has succeeded, their plain white wrapper has become the designer label preferred by more customers.

Any financial savings realized in the less colorful packaging is incidental and inconsequential. Their goal was primarily to make their products standout on the shelf. Not only increasing their profit potential, but an added convenience for their regular customers.

Now you can walk the aisles with a trained eye that can spot the familiar Great Value products much easier and faster. Not only are you saving money, but you're also saving time. A true indicator of the marketing genius that is Walmart.