Editor & Publisher informs us that Wal-Mart, in a departure from their normal practice, has been running a newspaper campaign in the Midwest:
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. placed full-page advertisements in 336 Midwestern newspapers after publishers nationally complained they are ignored by the world's largest retailer. The move comes at a time when the company is trying to address accusations it treats workers poorly and drives local shops out of businesses.
The ads, which ran in smaller papers in Missouri and Oklahoma between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6, were a test for a possible change in newspaper advertising policy at Wal-Mart, which publishers say has ignored their dailies and weeklies for years.
A cynic might wonder if Wal-Mart, under assault on numerous fronts, is trying to buy some influential friends, and a Wal-Mart spokesperson hints that that consideration might be part of the equation:
"The question is also whether to advertise to support the local newspaper and generate good will from that. These are probably good, non-traditional reasons to advertise locally and considerations we will also factor in once we have the market test results."
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