January 13, 2005

WM on the Offensive

Can a corporation buy a better "image"? WM thinks so, and will be spending big-bucks to counter its opponents' media advantage:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer, launched a national advertising campaign Thursday in an effort to burnish an image that has been tarnished by claims about its hiring practices, stance toward labor unions and actions against smaller competitors.

The company is running a full-page advertisement in more than a hundred newspapers, touting the number of jobs it plans to create in 2005, its employee-benefit packages and the diversity of its workers. The company also has started a Web site to support its campaign.

The ad, which is running in newspapers such as USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, says the company plans to create 100,000 U.S. jobs in 2005 and that 74 percent of its hourly employees work full-time.

"For too long, others have had free rein to say things about our company that just aren't true," Chairman Lee Scott said in a statement. "We've decided it's time to draw our own line in the sand."

First, all I can say on the matter is, "It's about damn time."

Second, let me be clear about ALP's mission: We are interested in describing the actual role of WM in the economy. ALP is driven first by curiosity--not policy or ideology. WM does not fund this site! Neither do unions! Except for Google advertising revenue--a total of $38 as of this morning, I have received no money to blog about WM. Neither has anybody else at ALP. Granted, I am an advocate of the free-market, but my cobloggers and commenters are whatever they want to be.

Third, when I can get a copy of the ad, I'll scan it in and post...

Fourth, we find out in the press release that WM has started a new website called Wal-Mart Facts, which includes a photo gallery and a video gallery.

Posted by Kevin on January, 13 2005 at 10:26 AM