Posted by B.L. Ochman. WalMart, the nation’s largest employer, is embroiled in a variety of controversies about its labor and business practices. Along comes modern day Tom Sawyer, aka Marshall Manson, a sr account supervisor at Edelman, who enlists right wing bloggers to whitewash the tarnished image of WalMart. Many conservative bloggers regurgitated emails and press releases Manson fed them right into their blogs. Bob Beller of Crazy Politico’s Rantings blog, sent the Walmart/Edelman flack’s emails to Michael Barbaro, who used them as the basis of a blog-bashing story in the NY Times, “Wal-Mart Enlists Bloggers in P.R. Campaign.”
What I find most interesting about the story is that Edelman is trying to get bloggers to spin a story for WalMart in much the same way they have always used mainstream media to try to control messages. This situation suggests that Edelman is not as new-media savvy as it would like bloggers and its clients to believe. There were other ways they could have enlisted bloggers to listen to them that didn’t involve deception and questionable ethics. So much for transparency. It’s clearly another tired illusion.
I have to wonder if this story will give Steve Rubel pause as he starts out in Edelman’s employ. He is strangely silent on his blog, ignoring the story and the blogosphere conversation about Edelman and WalMart’s ethics.
Deep Throat Blogger
Bob Beller of Crazy Politico’s Rantings blog, wrote
“… folks will wonder why I would do that, and “sell out” to the NY Times, a paper I basically loathe, and the answer is pretty easy. Bloggers want to be seen as the new media, and we are, but at the same time there is a lot of existing media out there, also. Both should work together to get correct information out to the public.”
In a statement on its site, WakeUpWalmart.com campaign director Paul Blank said,
“Borrowing a page from Karl Rove’s playbook, Wal-Mart’s public relations team is trying to create a false sense of support for a flawed business model which is hurting families.
…The American people will not tolerate deception. For example, there is no such group ‘Working Families for Wal-Mart.’ The group is a front, comprised of several paid consultants and business associates and staffed by Wal-Mart’s own public relations firm.
These dirty campaign tricks didn’t work for big tobacco and they won’t work for Wal-Mart.”
Carolita Johnson at NYette says “I can’t figure it out why a blogger would let Walmart crawl into their pants like that. And for free, it seems.”
John McAdams, author of the Marquette Warrior blog, and one of the conservative bloggers on Manson’s list, says:
Wal-Mart is in this, as in supply chain management, ahead of the curve. They are recognizing bloggers are a force that needs to be cultivated and catered to just as corporate PR people (and political activists) have long cultivated and catered to the traditional media.”
And I’m sure that is exactly Edelman’s viewpoint.
Brian Pickerell, of Iowa Voice, another blogger whom Barbaro contacted for his story, says the Times shouldn’t be so quick to condemn bloggers.
“And as for multiple blogs having similar sources, I would like to point out that a majority of news outlets use the Associated Press for their stories. Yes, in most cases they credit the AP for it, BUT on numerous occassions the stories themselves have been edited (info added or removed). If they have the ability to alter the original article so much, what’s to say they haven’t written their own piece based on what was sent to them from the AP, and simply putting it under their name? Hmmm?”
Copyright BL Ochman 2006.
Silence Happens… Temporarily
Minneapolis, Minn. Week two in my Edelman Me2Revolution journey is well underway. This week I am on the road all week. I met with some interesting companies that I cannot name and had some fascinating discussions about word of mouth
Silence Happens… Temporarily
Minneapolis, Minn. Week two in my Edelman Me2Revolution journey is well underway. This week I am on the road all week. I met with some interesting companies that I cannot name and had some fascinating discussions about word of mouth
What? bloggers? Wal-Mart? Edelman? – I can’t believe the New York Times didn’t quote Steve in that article.
Strange days, indeed. I emailed Steve Rubel, hoping for a quote, and instead got a reply back from Marshall Manson. I suppose in keeping mum Steve knows which side his blog is buttered on.
I see you are feeling better! Nice to have you back, feisty as ever.
The Perfect Job
http://theheadlemur.typepad.com/ravinglunacy/2006/03/walmart_enlists.html
Wal-Mart, Blogger “Relations” and Healthcare Communications
The hue and cry within and without the blogosphere has been quite intense ever since the New York Times reported on Wal-Mart’s efforts to enlist bloggers in a pro-company public relations campaign yesterday. For those (few) of you not in…
Ben if you read my post from today you will see that I was largely out of pocket yesterday and did not have a chance to consider the issues until today. So, in the itnerim, to make sure you were served I forwarded your request. Also, Marshall is closer to this particular issue than I am.
BL,
Just saw you comment on Steve’s post.
I have to say that as a leader, an employee and as Steve’s boss at Edelman, I wholeheartedly disagree with you on the loss of independence thing.
To be sure, anyone in the service industry has to be sensitive to whether or not her/his post is going to alienate a client.
That said, our firm’s independence, and our leadership’s beliefs mean that our size does not translate to any of our 2000 employees being conversational eunuchs.
From where I sit, this is not a “bigger is automatically badder” issue. This is 100% philosophical. Do you endorse and embrace the new rules or don’t you?
Disclosure: we may not always get it perfect. Fact: We’re trying to a lot harder than most.
RWM
Not exactly “Deep Throat”, as I used my real name from the start.
Thanks for the free publicity, I will probably be returning the favor this weekend.
Rubel Untainted In Wal-Mart Blog Scandal
Wal-Mart has been working with right wing bloggers. It’s a story. Some are up in arms over it. I don’t know who exactly, but I trust they’re out there and that they’re fuming. Edelman, the PR firm that handles the…
Ok, Steve, that sounds better than what looked like a duck. If you have the energy to press forward, then you can say, “I don’t really have anything to say about this but let me refer you to someone who does.”
But we really wanted to know what you thought, not Marshall.
We already know his position.
BL, the correction was made on my blog. My apologies, I thought it was another blog ad, not the bio box. Sorry about that.