Blog Mart
It seems that Wal-Mart just doesn't get it. I've boycotted Wal-Mart for many years, for many reasosns, but here's another one: stupid marketing tactics.
In a NY Times story, Michael Barbaro details how Wal-Mart is feeding bloggers information to post on their blogs.
What Wal-Mart doesn't get here is that on the Internet, it is easy to see when you are conniving. When a few popular bloggers all of a sudden have similar posts, even the same posts... people take notice. And then they blog about it!
What Wal-Mart doesn't understand here is that blogs are personal opinions. It's word of mouth advertising to a new power. If you are a company and you want to take advantage of the blogosphere, you must go in with one critical piece of understanding - you don't control the message.
You don't craft the message. You barely influence the message. All you can truly hope to do is produce a quality product or service that is worthy of someone's time. Whatever one's opinion is, it will be recorded and displayed for anyone to see.
It's not hard to market with bloggers well, because bloggers, by nature, want something to talk about. They need a rant or a rave. You can provide for them either the former or the latter, but either way it will be typed and uploaded and RSSed...
A great example of a company using bloggers to deliver their message is Sprint. Read here about one blogger's experience with Sprint's new phone service and phone. The key in Sprint's story is their is no messaging that indicates talking points, a company message, or a requirement for a blogger to say anything at all. Simply treat a blogger like an insider and there you have a golden opportunity to receive some honest and (most likely) positive press.
More and more Wal-Mart is looking less like a company these days, and alarmingly more like a political candidate... constantly fighting to stay popular in the polls of public opinion. (They even take jabs at companies like Target as if they had Swift Boat Veterans on their side. i.e. Target may not have collected any Salvation Army money this past year, but it doesn't mean that they don't donate to charity)
I believe Wal-Mart's ultimate demise will be from within, as they fight to prevent attacks that will only do harm if their service is outweighed by the truth of their attacker's point of view. In the end, people will do what is best for themselves, and it can't always mean that the lowest price is the best option.
In a NY Times story, Michael Barbaro details how Wal-Mart is feeding bloggers information to post on their blogs.
What Wal-Mart doesn't get here is that on the Internet, it is easy to see when you are conniving. When a few popular bloggers all of a sudden have similar posts, even the same posts... people take notice. And then they blog about it!
What Wal-Mart doesn't understand here is that blogs are personal opinions. It's word of mouth advertising to a new power. If you are a company and you want to take advantage of the blogosphere, you must go in with one critical piece of understanding - you don't control the message.
You don't craft the message. You barely influence the message. All you can truly hope to do is produce a quality product or service that is worthy of someone's time. Whatever one's opinion is, it will be recorded and displayed for anyone to see.
It's not hard to market with bloggers well, because bloggers, by nature, want something to talk about. They need a rant or a rave. You can provide for them either the former or the latter, but either way it will be typed and uploaded and RSSed...
A great example of a company using bloggers to deliver their message is Sprint. Read here about one blogger's experience with Sprint's new phone service and phone. The key in Sprint's story is their is no messaging that indicates talking points, a company message, or a requirement for a blogger to say anything at all. Simply treat a blogger like an insider and there you have a golden opportunity to receive some honest and (most likely) positive press.
More and more Wal-Mart is looking less like a company these days, and alarmingly more like a political candidate... constantly fighting to stay popular in the polls of public opinion. (They even take jabs at companies like Target as if they had Swift Boat Veterans on their side. i.e. Target may not have collected any Salvation Army money this past year, but it doesn't mean that they don't donate to charity)
I believe Wal-Mart's ultimate demise will be from within, as they fight to prevent attacks that will only do harm if their service is outweighed by the truth of their attacker's point of view. In the end, people will do what is best for themselves, and it can't always mean that the lowest price is the best option.
2 Comments:
So the reasoning must follow that you are being paid by unions?
Is it so unreasonable that unpaid people have beliefs and views so twisted and foreign to you that you would jump to assume to corruption? Do you offer any proof other than link to sites who make it their business to demonize Wal-Mart?
Just askin'
Your reasoning reeks of assumption.
I didn't say anyone that writes favorably about Wal-Mart is paid off. In fact, I don't recall suggesting money changing hands at all, period.
Further, I am being less critical of the blogger here than the company. I don't think you can deny that Wal-Mart is on a PR crusade, and it's their tactics as a marketer that are bothersome.
The one reference link that I offered up is to one of the most reputable news organizations in the world. If there wasn't truth in the story, it wouldn't be written.
My opinion is based on their report, yes, but I also haven't heard or seen any terrific counter argument from anyone other than the company itself. Am I supposed to believe that Wal-Mart is unbiased about its own marketing tactics?
Puh-lease.
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