I just want to remind everyone that back in December, Edelman got the award, given by the Wall Street Journal, for The Worst Ads of ‘06 for Wal-Marting Across America.
CLIENT: Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
AGENCY: Edelman, a unit of Daniel J. Edelman Inc.
CONTENT: Edelman set up a blog called Wal-Marting Across America, which tracked the life of “Jim” and “Laura,” a couple who drove cross-country in an RV visiting Wal-Mart stores. On the pro-Wal-Mart blog the duo conducted interviews with happy Wal-Mart workers.
FEEDBACK: In a sign of how things can quickly go wrong for brands online, critics complained the company failed to disclose on the blog the full identities of two people — one the sister of an Edelman employee — whom it enlisted to write the pro-company blog. The controversy quickly spilled over into the mainstream media. Richard Edelman, president and chief executive of the public-relations giant and a long-time proponent of PR transparency and blog ethics, ended up apologizing on his blog.
