There’s a big article in today’s New York Times about Check Out, Wal-Mart’s employee-driven blog.
The NYT calls out the obvious:
Known for its strict, by-the-books culture — accepting a cup of coffee from a supplier can be a firing offense — Wal-Mart is now encouraging its merchants to speak frankly, even critically, about the products the chain carries.
This unusual new Web site, which was quietly created during the holiday shopping season, has become a forum for unvarnished rants about gadgets, raves about new video games and advice on selecting environmentally sustainable food.
Of course, in many ways it should come as little surprise to see a company plagued with bad public image in a digital age turn to blogging. Letting Wal-Mart buyers (people who choose what is sold in Wal-Mart stores) blog about the products sold at Wal-Mart is a particularly smart move, since it kills several birds with one stone:
- Wal-Mart gets a set of public-facing personalities
- Wal-Mart commands enough market share that bad-mouthing a product won’t force a supplier away
- Wal-Mart appears to open up while not opening up at all
I’ll have to keep an eye on the blog over time to really back-up my third statement. But from looking it over the posts are talking about the products they carry, or products they might carry, or who they’re working with to determine what products they should carry.
They’re not really talking about anything internally Wal-Mart.
I have to hand it to the Wal-Mart team. That is a pretty smart move. It’s still an interesting blog, and I think that it’s a blog that will be well worth having as people learn to know and like the people who are blogging. After all, these are Wal-Mart employees!
It’s a good trick to think about if you’re worried about the risks of starting your own blog.
{ 0 comments… add one now }