ChasNote

Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman PR, apologized yesterday for creating — without disclosing that Edelman and Wal-Mart were behind it — the “Wal-Marting Across America” blog. From Mediapost:

“Ostensibly a chatty travelogue written by two average Americans who parked their RV nightly in Wal-Mart parking lots and wrote endlessly effusive prose about their experiences with the retailer’s employees and customers, the ‘flog’ (or fake blog) became a marketing communications disaster for both client and agency when it was revealed that the vehicle, meals and all other expenses were paid for by WFWM, an organization launched by Edelman, and that St. Claire’s brother worked for the PR agency on the WFWM account.”

The blog was revealed to be a flog, and the potential for PR lift turned into a sink hole. Edelman’s comments yesterday: “I’m sorry we did this. I am completely committed to doing better, not only for our firm but also the PR industry. I want your readers to know I take all this very seriously.”

Steve Rubel, an exec at Edelman and the voice of Micro Persuasion, had no direct connection to the project.