Wal-Qaida? Ads link retailer and terrorism

Posted Jul 3rd 2007 4:12PM by Brian White
Filed under: Rumors, Industry, Wal-Mart (WMT), Marketing and Advertising

After reading the latest story on an advertising campaign by WakeUp Wal-Mart, I was left with a little "shock and awe" about the message the activist group has put out against the world's largest retailer. In what I would consider a very strong yet indirect connection, the new advertising campaign loosely attempts to connect Wal-Mart with terrorism as it mentions the cookie crumb trail from Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) to China to Afghanistan. Okay, that inference warranted a little more reading from yours truly.

The connection that is made links the dots between Wal-Mart's business relationship with China (which is mind-boggingly huge) and how China also supports terrorists in Afghanistan by shipping weapons there. The television ad then ends with "So, before you think about shopping at Wal-Mart think about that." What is doesn't mention is that the U.S. economy turns daily on its business relationship with China. In fact, I hate to think what would happen to consumer spending (about two-thirds of the U.S. economy) if we serviced all consumer need from U.S. resources instead of Chinese resources, overnight. Immediate collapse, my friends.

Now, that is not to say that the U.S. consumer's dependence on Chinese goods could not go away over time, but that's another post. So many companies have so many links to Chinese-made goods that Wal-Mart and just about every other Fortune 500 company that makes a product would be guilty of "terrorism links" in the context of this advertising campaign. If you read my weekly Wal-Mart column, you'll know that I give Wal-Mart a fair shot always -- good and bad. But this shot, while having some semblance of legitimacy (except where the facts are to support the accusation), should not be directed solely at Wal-Mart, but at any company that makes products in China with Chinese labor. Like that new iPhone? I'll bet it was made in China. Is Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) getting beat up here? Doubtful.

Tags: Afghanistan, China, terrorism, WakeUpWalMart, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart Watch, Wal-martWatch, WMT

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-03-2007 @ 5:09PM

Mike said...

I think the Union-funded attack groups were focusing this advertising campaign on the middle-America conservatives who comprise Wal-Mart's core customer.

The trouble, of course, is that it is such a preposterous ad campaign that even their own left-wing supporters might have trouble swallowing it.

If I were paying union dues right now and saw how they were being spent, I think I would be pretty unhappy.

7-04-2007 @ 11:52AM

Jerry Bluhm said...

Amazing what some will do to attack Wal-Mart or any other sucessful company in this country. Wherever the money is there you will find parasites as well.

7-04-2007 @ 3:52AM

Gary E. Sattler said...

It's a sad fact that the politically correct "tolerance at all costs" gang has softened our distrust of communists to the point that we have become dependent upon them (to a certain extent).

Have we forgotten that we fought Chinese communists in Korea and Viet Nam? Have we forgotten that they basically took and hold Hong Kong by threat of force?

Wal-Mart is not the issue here. It's far bigger than just them. The group "Wake up Wal-Mart" needs to wake up themselves and realize they're starting to look pretty dumb. How about if we trace some of their own cookie crumbs? Can you guess what kind of minds support them? Let me simplify it for you, why are anti Wal-Mart socialists pointing the finger at so called pro Wal-Mart communist connections? Pretty stupid huh.

Americans don't seem to realize that we are quickly moving towards becoming irrelevant as consumers. The world is already proving that they don't need us as a manufacturing nation. What will happen when they no longer need us as a consumer nation?

7-04-2007 @ 12:14PM

doctorgrabel said...

don't shop at walmart period. I never have and never will. their are other stores like them that will fill in the void if they were to go out of business. its a joke to say the are for the middle class, their customer is the poor.

7-04-2007 @ 1:21PM

john said...

I shop Wal-mart, it has the side benefit of pissing off people like Dr. Grovel!

7-05-2007 @ 9:47AM

BILL said...

doctorgrabel--people have to shop at walmart so they can save money to pay for their high doctor bills-so you can shop at the high priced stores

7-05-2007 @ 10:02AM

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7-05-2007 @ 10:02AM

dark69 said...

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7-05-2007 @ 11:01AM

William Martin said...

Since almost all companies do business one way or another with China why single out WMT? Wake Up America remind me of all the hypocrites in my church including myself.My favorite line to them is again"allow fools to be fools as long as they are happy".Billy Martin

7-05-2007 @ 2:58PM

Lisa said...

This latest campaign won't make me change my Wal-Mart shopping habits. I'm still boycotting Wal-Mart for a reason I've long since forgotten. I figure that since I don't boycott for doofus reasons, I must have a good reason for not shopping at Wal-Mart, even if I don't know what it was.