I would love to read an in-depth piece on how Robert Greenwald and Walmart are each using the web to conduct the most interesting political campaign since the 2004 election, complete with war-rooms and viral marketing, and even online duels between the two sides over the movie’s pre-release trailer. (Here’s the company’s take, at its site WalMartFacts.com, and Greenwald & Co.’s ju-jitsu remix of the company’s attack video). If you want to write that piece, let me know. In the meantime, check out these notes from the field, and feel free to add your own:
From Iofilm:
Greenwald’s web site has become a model for self-distribution practices in the internet era. The web site is the distribution equivalent of a swiss army knife: it works as a platform for running the PR campaign, a gathering point for debate on Wal-Mart, a place where people can gather materials to put on their own neighbourhood screenings ($10 a screening), a notice board for new screenings, and a store where users can buy DVDs and merchandise. Anyone can order DVDs in bulk at wholesale prices and any website can earn $5 a sale by posting a Wal-Mart affiliate link…
From BusinessWeek’s Blogspotting column:
Richard Edelman, CEO of the PR firm and blogger, told a panel today how his company helped Wal-Mart generate good buzz during the Katrina catastrophe. Edelman learned early that Wal-Mart employees were using blogs to communicate logistics. They got the blog URLs to conservative blogs, which then made their way to mainstream media. This all fit nicely into the story line that was taking shape: Government doesn’t work, Wal-Mart does. It was a PR coup for Wal-Mart, a company that’s been taking a battering. But Wal-Mart’s blog story doesn’t end there. In mid-September, Edelman hired the conservative blogger, Mike Krempasky [yes the one and same PDF contributing editor], who was instrumental in getting the message out. Naturally, they put him on the Wal-Mart account.
Other interesting links:
– WalmartWatch.com, which counts among its founding partners the SEIU, Democracy for America, the Sierra Club, Greenwald’s Brave New Films, and the United Food and Commercial Workers. The site was designed by Blue State Digital.
– WakeUpWalmart.com, a project of the United Food and Commercial Workers (hmm, some competition here between the SEIU and UFCW to harvest names?)
– Jim Gilliam, the producer of Greenwald’s films, has a blog.
– Jonathan Tasini, who blogs on labor issues at Working Life, goes after Democrats who are doing Wal-Mart’s bidding. Could Wal-Mart become a defining issue for the Democrats thanks to all this attention?
Battle of the urls:
WalMartFacts.com has 38 incoming links.
WakeUpWalmart.com has 76 incoming links.
WalMartWatch.com has 151 incoming links.