Wall-Mart’s Promotion of Employees
Victoria Beaver Advertising Principles MANAMA August 30, 2014 Professor Phil Shapes 1 . What is Wall-Mart doing with its latest campaign? What are the difficulties involved in such an effort? Wall-Mart has faced several lawsuits in the past that claimed female employees faced discrimination in pay and promotions. The company has also had to face rumors that imply low wages, inadequate benefits, environmental damage, and harm to local economies.
To counteract this criticism, Wall-Mart started a campaign saying their employees are paid a wage that is substantially higher than federal law required, and included employee statements and testimonials. They arranged press conferences, and used the slogan “Wall-Mart speaks for employees. ” Some of the difficulties they faced were that it was more costly, time consuming, and would probably be met with skepticism. 2. A recent Advertising Age article noted that Wall-Mart customers are less likely to read newspapers and more likely to watch television than the population as a whole.
Why, then, did Wall-Mart choose newspapers for its new campaign? Wall-Mart chose to use print advertising in newspapers to help this particular campaign stand out. If they had used television media, they could have faced less control over who saw it, and when they saw it. By using the newspaper, Wall-Mart was able to send out a specific message. It was also tangible advertising that consumers could hold onto if they chose, such as the letter from the CEO Lee Scott, in which he stated, “… When special-interest groups and critics spread misinformation about Wall- Mart, the public deserves to hear the truth… Everyone is entitled to their own pinions about our company, but they are not entitled to make up their own facts. ” 3. Analyze this Wall-Mart campaign and explain its purpose, referring to the discussion in this chapter of the roles and functions of advertising. What is the primary purpose? Do you think it will be effective at accomplishing that purpose? Wall-Mart’s purpose with this campaign was to remove the misconception about the company, and promote a relationship between the employees and the consumers.
Wall-Mart communicated directly with consumers via the letter from the CEO and the employee statements and testimonials. They used complementing public relations ads in select cities through press conferences with employees. Wall-Mart wanted to provide a positive message to consumer’s to try and protect their brand image. By promoting their employees instead of their goods, Wall-Mart took a unique stance, and therefore stood out. If nothing else, this would have made the company memorable to consumers. References Gauguin, T. , Allen, C. , & Semen’s, R. (2012). Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotion(6th deed. ).
