“Walmart Sparks Excitement with ‘Spicy Summer’ Campaign
From tantalizing beverages to vibrant red manicures and BookTok’s latest list of ‘spicy books’, the heat and spice trend is currently taking center stage, and Walmart is diving right in. The retail giant is launching its ‘Spicy Summer’ campaign to captivate customers and position itself as the ultimate destination for this season’s hottest reads and trends. As part of this initiative, Walmart is introducing a special, limited-edition ‘Spicy Books’ Hot Sauce Set, allowing customers to create their own spicy summer moments at home. But what exactly are ‘Spicy Books’?
BookTok, a rapidly growing community on TikTok with over 250 billion views, consists of passionate readers who discuss their favorite books. ‘Spicy books’, particularly in the romantasy genre, have emerged as beloved picks within this community. They’ve even developed a ‘spice scale’ to rate the intensity of their favorite reads.
How is Walmart Embracing ‘Spicy Summer’?
Walmart is merging the worlds of spice and summer reading with a campaign that taps into both the scorching trend and the vibrant BookTok universe. Here’s what’s heating up:
Spicy Books Hot Sauce Set: To honor the BookTok community, Walmart has crafted a limited-edition Spicy Books Hot Sauce set. Packaged to resemble a book, this bespoke collection features five Melinda’s hot sauces, each corresponding to a level on the spice scale – from mild to scorching. The Spicy Books Hot Sauce set will be available for purchase at walmart.com/spicysummer for $14.98, while supplies last.
Shop Your Spicy Summer: In addition to the Spicy Books Hot Sauce, Walmart’s dedicated Spicy Summer landing page invites customers to ‘Shop Your Spicy Summer’. Here, they can explore the hottest summer reads, fashion trends, and accessories, all inspired by popular Spicy Books.
Spicy Summer Soirée: To turn up the heat even further, Walmart is hosting a sizzling event in Los Angeles for the BookTok community. Attendees will enjoy spicy refreshments and light bites by the poolside, along with immersive experiences featuring their favorite Spicy Summer reads and a taste test of the Spicy Books Hot Sauce.
“Customers are at the heart of everything we do at Walmart, and we strive to connect with them authentically in spaces where they spend their time. This campaign is the perfect opportunity to engage and celebrate BookTokers and the community they thrive in,” said Courtney Killingsworth, Director of Brand Marketing at Walmart, who is currently captivated by the Spicy Summer read, ‘Just for Summer’ by Abby Jimenez. “With our Spicy Books Hot Sauce, we’re giving a nod to BookTok fandom while broadening our appeal to a wider audience, injecting a bit of spice into all summer essentials.”
To secure your limited-edition Spicy Books Hot Sauce Set and dive into Your Spicy Summer,”
