From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070107/ap_on_..._reputation_ads

Wal-Mart will defend reputation in ads

By MARCUS KABEL, AP Business Writer

22 minutes ago

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will run national television ads starting Monday praising its record as an employer and corporate citizen, taking its arguments straight to the public in an ongoing battle over its reputation with unions and other critics.

The world's largest retailer, increasingly a lightening rod for politicians as well as labor unions and other activists, cites the legacy of late founder Sam Walton in a folksy 60-second ad. A 30-second ad focuses on Wal-Mart's health insurance plans for its more than 1.3 million U.S. employees.

"It all began with a big dream in a small town, Sam Walton's dream," a narrator says as one ad starts with a black-and-white photo of Sam Walton and a grainy shot of Walton's first five-and-dime store in what is now the chain's headquarters town of Bentonville, Ark.

"Sam's dream. Your neighborhood Wal-Mart," the ad ends.

Both ads recite key points Wal-Mart has been making to reporters for months about its record, but the ads now take the arguments straight to the public.

The nation's largest private employer says it creates tens of thousands of jobs a year, offers employee health plans for as little as $23 a month, saves "the average working family" more than $2,300 a year through its low prices and is a major contributor to local charities with donations last year totaling more than $245 million.

In a news release about the ads, Wal-Mart said a survey of its employees nationwide last summer found 88 percent believe the company is a good corporate citizen and 81 percent would recommend a Wal-Mart job to a friend.

Company spokesman David Tovar declined to say how much Wal-Mart is spending on the ads, which were tested last summer in Tucson, Ariz., and Omaha, Neb. They will run for an as-yet undetermined period on national broadcast and cable networks as well as in a "couple of dozen" individual markets, Tovar said.

Steven Silvers, a corporate reputation management expert with Denver-based consultancy GBSM Inc., said it was strategically smart of Wal-Mart to take its case directly to the public to counter mounting attacks.

"If they're targeted, they have to get their message out there," Silvers said. "It's because they have become political fodder. They have to frame the discussion."

Wal-Mart was the focus of two high-profile but unsuccessful efforts last year to legislate how it treats employees.

Maryland's Legislature passed a union-backed law that would have forced Wal-Mart to spend a fixed percentage of payroll on employee health insurance. That law was overturned by a federal court. Chicago's City Council passed an ordinance mandating higher wages at big-box retailers, but it was vetoed by Mayor Richard Daley.

Union-funded campaign groups have also recruited national Democratic figures to back their calls for higher wages and better health care at Wal-Mart, including potential 2008 presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and declared 2008 candidate John Edwards.

WakeUpWalMart.com, a union-funded campaign group, said the ad campaign proves Wal-Mart is seeing damage to its bottom line from a worsening reputation. The retailer had its worst holiday sales season in years, WakeUpWalMart.com spokesman Chris Kofinis said.

"Wal-Mart is living in a bizarre state of denial, where no matter how bad their public reputation is, they still believe that a tired ad campaign can fool the American public into believing it is OK to exploit millions of working families," Kofinis said.

WakeUpWalMart.com and another union-backed group, Wal-Mart Watch, claim Wal-Mart pays poverty wages, runs small businesses out of town and pushes employees onto tax-funded public health care. Wal-Mart denies those allegations.

The union groups have repeatedly run newspaper and television ads.

Wal-Mart said its ads are part of a continuing effort to show it is good for its employees and customers.

"This campaign is part of a long-term effort to inform the public about the company's positive impact on communities, including some of our core values like affordable health care, customer savings and charitable contributions," Tovar said.

Thanks for posting that No matter what Wal-mart does I still will not like them, and i still here all the time that only 40% of there workers have health insurance which is not good.

No problem.

I hat Wal-Mart. I worked at one for nearly 5 1/2 years....Since I left there nearly 2 1/2 years ago, I refuse to go to that store or any Wal-Mart. They're not getting my money. I'll go to K Mart, Target, Dollar General, and other discount stores before I will EVER step foot in another Wal-Mart.

I worked in a Sam's Club for five years, so I know what horrors the WalMart company make the employees endure. I used to have to pay almost half of my check just to have single person health insurance, and that didn't even include dental. Stupid b@#$%%#s.

I outright refuse to ever give Walmart my business again. Target is superior anyway.

I've always hated Wal-Mart. I also refuse to step foot in one. I'd rather pay a bit more to a corporation like Target. Wal-Mart stands for everything that is wrong in the retail world. I'm glad that the anti-Wal-Mart campaigns are well-received, and I sincerely hope it damages their bottom dollar enough that they change the way they treat their employees.

Well, I have to shop at our Super WalMart for groceries. There's no other grocery around that's reasonably affordable, because WalMart has forced all nearby competition to close their doors, for the most part. Otherwise, I'd shop for groceries elsewhere. But I refuse to pay three times the price for something at a grocery store that's farther away just to boycott WalMart.

WalMart does treat its employees like crap. I worked there for less than a week a few years back, and that was more than enough for me. I quit without thinking twice, LoL. I also hate the way they treat their customers. Prices might be cheap, but heaven forbid you ask someone for help with something. They're likely to take your head off. They also never have enough checkout registers open, so you're forced to stand in line at the checkout for at least 20 minutes almost every time you go.

We around here is po' folk though, so we put up with it so long as we save money in the process. Thankfully, I've got a job now that pays really good money (for this part of the country) compared to most other jobs in the city, but I'm still frugal when it comes to buying things. I guess it's just a bleedthrough from growing up poor as hell, LoL

The times I needed help at my Wal-Mart, I never encountered a rude employee. I'm not saying everyone there is peaches and cream, but I haven't had many the problems you guys keep saying.

I'll continue to shop there. Like I've said before, I can't afford to be a retail snob, and Target is too overpriced and has a LOUSY selection of merchandise, especially their clothing. Also, my brother works there, and they are crappy to their employees too, especially when it comes to insurance. But he's a manager, and making a little more money than the cashiers and floor people, so he's staying for now.