Walmart is launching a major summer promotion across its product range — including food, beverages, books, apparel and home goods — linked with an expansive TikTok community.
Walmart stated it developed the Spicy Summer promotional campaign to generate consumer excitement and establish itself as a go-to destination for seasonal needs and novelties. In addition, Walmart is rolling out a limited-edition Spicy Books Hot Sauce Set, part of a designated Spicy Summer merchandise assortment already available via a landing page on Walmart.com that includes portable tumblers, coolers and drinkware.
As part of the promotion, Walmart is reaching out to BookTok, a growing community on TikTok with more than 250 billion views linked through a passionate group of readers discussing their favorite books, the retailer noted. Spicy books, commonly of the “romantasy” genre, have emerged as some of the most discussed tomes on the platform. The community has developed a “spice scale” to rate the zestiness of their favorite reads. The Spicy Books Hot Sauce set launches in celebration of the community. Packaged to look like a book, the collection features five Melinda’s hot sauces, each corresponding to a level on the spice scale from mild to burning. Walmart is throwing an event in Los Angeles for the BookTok community, which will include spicy refreshments.
“Customers are at the center of everything we do at Walmart, and we look to places where they are spending their time to create genuine moments of connection with them,” said Courtney Killingsworth, Walmart director of brand marketing. “This campaign is the perfect way to reach and celebrate BookTokers and the community they thrive in. We’re giving a wink to BookTok fandom with our Spicy Books Hot Sauce and then expanding to a larger customer base by bringing some spice to all summer must-haves.”
