As goes Wal-Mart, so goes the rest of corporate America,
so it may be a model for those companies grappling with how to
improve media relations. Here's the latest: an invitation from
Wal-Mart to national and regional retail reporters to attend a
two-day meeting (April 5-6) at the company's Bentonville, Ark.,
headquarters. It's the first time ever that the retail giant has
invited journalists to its home base to meet with the company's top
brass, including CEO Lee Scott, CFO Tom Schoewe and president of
Wal-Mart Stores Mike Duke. The powwow is part of Wal-Mart's "Set
the Record Straight' campaign that kicked off in January (featuring
ads in more than 100 newspapers touting the company's wages,
employee benefits, economic impact and charitable
contributions).
"It's an opportunity for journalists to interact with senior
executives with the hope that they'll get a much better
understanding of who we are and how we do business," says Gus
Whitcomb, director of corporate communications at Wal-Mart. "We can
provide our side of the issues that people are debating in
public."
Wal-Mart has been courting the media aggressively during the
last several months in its effort to re-build its image after a
string of damaging stories, including allegations of wage-and-hour
violations and sex discrimination (see PR News, July 19,
2004). Regarding the two-day meetings, Whitcomb says that "quite a
few" companies are employing similar events that specifically
catering to members of the media, adding, "It can be a very
successful strategy of telling your story."
Contact: Gus Whitcomb, 479.273.4314