September 15, 2005

Wal-Mart Enlists Blogger, Edelman PR

Mike Krempasky, a well known blogger on RedState.org, founder of Rathergate.com, and defender of blogging from the tentacles of the FEC, has joined Edelman PR.

Why is that important? He is on the Wal-Mart account:

My work largely focuses on helping companies appropriately shift conversations online, to not only build a better image - but to actually be better online citizens. The first account I’ve had the pleasure to work on is that gigantic little company based in Bentonville, Arkansas. I can’t tell you what an experience it’s been over the past two weeks - watching this corporate giant lead the way in response to Hurricane Katrina and helping to tell that story.
Opponents have made sure that it's not hard to find extensive information about Mr. Krempasky.

In completely unrelated news, Reuters notes Wal-Mart has a new "secret spin strategy":

And now, Scott has started to drop hints about a secret spin strategy to counter a union-backed, anti-Wal-Mart media blitz that he says is not going to go away.

Scott -- who says his job is to defend Wal-Mart's reputation from those who contend the world's No. 1 retailer pays poverty-level wages and drives competitors out of business -- wouldn't divulge details of the new public relations plan, but he has stressed its importance

Why big media needs to be told how Wal-Mart will deal with big media is anybody's guess; you would figure they already know how these things work. Reuters journalists should ask themselves whether Wal-Mart is already spinning!

UPDATE: WMW is "buzzing", wondering about "dirty tricks", etc. They ask, "Do dirty tricks go hand-in-hand with dirty stores," but come out looking pretty dirty themselves. One can ask with equal righteousness, do dirty tricks go hand-in-hand with a smear campaign? Honestly, I cannot see how anybody can get into a PR fight and come out "clean", especially when the battle involves politicians and policy at every level of government. As you can imagine, Wal-Mart Watch is hard at work examining -- utilizing only "clean" methods! -- Mr. Krempasky's history.

Posted by Kevin on September, 15 2005 at 11:39 AM

Comments & Trackbacks
Bobby wrote:

I noticed that the Reuters article on the spin strategy mentioned Robert Greenwald's upcoming film on Wal-Mart. I assume Wal-Mart is bracing for that film.

Also, regarding the Greenwald film.. I believe the movie capitalizes on the old premise that Wal-Mart wrecks jobs when it moves into a new area.
I thought Emek Basker's research proved that this is not really the case.
It's one thing to film a small business owner who is understandably upset at having to close up his or her shop. It's quite another thing, though, to say that Wal-Mart wrecks jobs. Empirical evidence apparently does not prove that out.

I'm not sure empirical evidence, though, is ever considered when it's much more dramatic to film a person closing down their business.

-- September 16, 2005 02:32 AM ∞

Kevin Brancato wrote:

With every new Wal-Mart, there are winners and losers, even if there is a net short-term and long-term jobs gain.

The losers are usually other grocers and discount stores (and Mom and Pop stores, on the odd chance that many still exist), their employees, (and should these stores go out of business) their customers.

The winners -- besides Wal-Mart shareholders and customers and associates -- are harder to pin down. People who own restaurants and laundromats and gas stations around Wal-Mart win.

Rural downtowns across the US have been facing hard times for a really long time; when WM pulls away the discount shopper, some downtowns reconfigure and thrive. Others go absolutely nowhere. However, I've seen no example of Wal-Mart "destroying" a downtown that was once thriving.

In the end, I find little evidence to support the claim that the competitive pressure brought by Wal-Mart degrades the quality of economic activity -- and, more broadly, the quality of human lives -- overall...

-- September 16, 2005 09:43 AM ∞

Jim Gilliam wrote:

Thanks Kevin for digging this up. Great catch.

Here's my take:

http://www.jimgilliam.com/2005/09/walmart_corporate_is_revving_up_the_spin_machine.php

-- September 16, 2005 11:35 PM ∞

Beltway Blogroll wrote in Bloggers Going Places:

Testifying before the Federal Election Commission and Congress, and blogging at sites like Confirm Them, Personal Democracy Forum and RedState apparently is not enough to keep Mike Krempasky busy. He has taken a blog-related job at the Edelman public-r...

-- September 19, 2005 07:27 AM ∞

hyku | blog - Josh Hallett wrote in Wal-Mart Using Edelman and Mike Krempasky for Blog:

In mid-September Always Low Prices picked up that Mike Krempasky of RatherGate.com fame was hired by Edelman to work on the Wal-Mart blog account. My work largely focuses on helping companies appropriately shift conversations online, to not only build ...

-- October 3, 2005 10:15 AM ∞