Reverberations
I just read a great story in the Pitch about the history of the Wal-mart account and the relationship with long-term agency Bernstein Rein.
I admit, I’m totally engrossed in the Wal-mart agency review saga and am reading everything published on the subject. But apparently I’m not alone. Wal-Mart and its travails have reverberated throughout the ad world.
AdAge has 5 stories related to recent events:
In Bentonville, Buyers Abide by Stringent Code
Wal-Mart Ethics Code
- Follow the law at all times.
- Be honest and fair.
- Never manipulate, misrepresent, abuse or conceal information.
- Avoid conflicts of interest between work and personal life.
- Never discriminate.
- Never act unethically — even if someone else tells you to.
- Never ask someone to act unethically.
- Seek assistance if you have questions about ethics.
- Cooperate with any investigation of a possible ethics violation.
- Report ethics violators.
Draft Dealt Staggering Blow After Strutting Like A Champ
DraftFCB CEO Howard Draft went from triumphant hero to disaster management overnight.
Advertising Age had decided that DraftFCB, thanks to the boldness of its model and the Wal-Mart new-business coup, was going to be this publication’s Agency of the Year, a decision that would have been officially announced in our Jan. 8 issue.
Now, all that has changed.
Sam’s Successors Share Blame For Wal-Mart Shame
Sam Walton must be rolling in his grave.
Almost nothing could be more contrary to Wal-Mart’s culture and heritage than a high-profile marketing executive seen taking rides in high-priced cars with current and potential vendors or accused in the press of accepting expensive entertainment and gratuities from them.
As Wal-Mart Reopens Review, Windy City Ad Community Lets Out A Groan
In the wake of Roehm-gate, Wal-Mart has gone from being the Chicago ad community’s redemption to being a low point in an already-grim 24 months.
Pushing Envelope Julie’s MO–Not Wal-Mart’s
Pushing the envelope of propriety
If there is any practical lesson from this affair, it’s that the client is the company — not the senior VP-marketing — and the client’s values system is not to be taken lightly. DraftFCB evidently bought into Roehm’s self-image as a “change agent.”
Yeah, well, congratulations. Wal-Mart is now changing agencies.
Even the Chicago Tribune is running stories filled with advice for DraftFCB:
DraftFCB needs to act quickly to restore its reputation.
If Draft and his team determine the agency did nothing wrong, they should write a strongly worded letter to Wal-Mart and make it public, sending copies to their clients, prospective clients and employees, advised Robert Dilenschneider, head of the Dilenschneider Group in New York.
“They’ve been fired. They have nothing to lose,” he said in an interview Friday.
If Draft concludes the agency did cross a line somewhere, he should express outrage and remove the people involved, Dilenschneider said. Draft also should ask Wal-Mart to reconsider its stand that DraftFCB won’t be allowed to bid in the new competition for the giant discount chain’s account.
“They shouldn’t wait until Monday. They should do it today,” Dilenschneider said.
I wonder what will happen next.
This post was written by: Kim Mickelsen
December 13th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
This quote was recently printed in The Pitch Magazine (Dec 7th, 2006) Kansas City:
“Inside Bernstein-Rein, employees grumbled about representing Wal-Mart. Jeff Bremser, who has been Bernstein’s chief creative director for the past 30 years, says Wal-Mart lost its moral focus when Walton died. “Wal-Mart had changed,” Bremser says. “Wal-Mart used to be a very honest company. They were never involved in any trickery under Sam.”
As a small business owner and stock holder in Wal*Mart I would never consider hiring an ad agency who goes on record to say that the company they are representing is dishonest and immoral as well as involved in trickery.
January 22nd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
[...] As the buzz over the DraftFCB/Roehm/WalMart scandal seems to finally be dying down it’s time to take one last brief look back and ask ourselves – what is the real problem here. And I’d say the real problem is that we’re idiots. Yes, we in the marketing/communications business are idiots because of the criteria we use to deem a new undertaking to be a success or a failure. [...]