Comments on: 28% of Americans Think Wal-Mart Is the Friendly Giant

By: mac poker star

mac poker star — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:37:58 +0000

By: HERESY

HERESY — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:17:22 +0000

SURE, THAT MAKES SENSE – I MEAN, NOTHING SAYS “GOOD CORPORATE CITIZEN” LIKE FORCING THE GOVERNMENT TO PICK UP YOUR EMPLOYEE’S HEATHCARE COSTS….

Common Sense PR – 28% of Americans Think Wal-Mart Is the Friendly Giant……

By: Eric Eggertson

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:10:19 +0000

I know it seems cynical for a company to spend money raising awareness about its donations, but I agree with that approach. It helps the groups you’re supporting by raising their profile, and it’s good for employee morale, too.

Sure, they could put the PR and advertising money into even more donations, but then nobody would know about it. If a corporation makes meaningful charitable acts in the forest and no one hears, did it really happen?

(Well, actually, yes it does happen, but allow me to try to warp this analogy to my purposes.)

By: Owen Lystrup

Owen Lystrup — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:01:28 +0000

Wal-Mart’s tradition is definitely a large ingredient, but I also think that Wal-Mart draws the most attention to its philanthropic efforts, almost as if it was compensating for something.

The locality of Wal-Mart’s efforts too reinforce the image of a giving company. It’s one thing to hear about what a company does for nonprofits or for the environment; it’s different to actually experience it in your hometown. And Wal-Mart is in a lot of hometowns.

A company like Apple, for example, would never be able to keep up. It’s home is in Cupertino, and it only has stores in a handful or large cities.

By: Eric Eggertson

Eric Eggertson — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:34:15 +0000

Good point, Ike. Corporate citizenship is a long-term investment. And when you’re not helping out locally, everyone who’s involved in a community group or local charity knows about it.

By: Ike

Ike — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:33:02 +0000

One of the key differences here is Wal-Mart had a decades-old tradition of giving money to local causes. When the recent PR emphasis materialized, there was a track record to speak of.

Had Wal-Mart tried building a PR campaign out of whole cloth — simply buzzwords and branding — there would have been far more hollow echos and harrumphs. Sadly, too many PR advisors are bullied by their clients who already “know” what the prescription ought to be before a real diagnosis. Reality is what it is… and effective messages reflect reality.