Wal-Mart’s Marketing Powerpoint Available Here

I downloaded the PDF just out of spite.

congrats, you’ve found what is effectivly stolen confidential information.

hippies are fun

I also downloaded the presentation even though my Leaked Wal-Mart Documents folder is (((bulging))) at the seams!

OK, so Bentonville wanted to put a finer point on their customer demographics.  No sin in that, in fact, profiling is good business but as is the case with so many brilliant ideas that come out Wal-Mart, the implementation unravels.

Whoever was tapped to put this shiny presentation together must be making the big bucks for their savvy. How come it never occurred to them that given the lack of internal security at HO they weren’t writing this for internal eyes only?  Chances are it will be leaked and everyone will see it.  If they had, perhaps their would have been inclined to soften the customer profiles.

How pleased will folks be to find out that Wal-Mart sees them as “lower” or “below average educated”, “lowest” or “below average income”, driving a used car , and a Baptist with a 2:1 shot they suffer from “depression”? And my favorite: “Brand Aspirationals are less savvy than the norm when it comes to more complex categories (e.g. technology).”

Flattering, no? I recommend Bentonville hire an executive vice president in charge of euphemisms.

If you are one of the lucky “Price Sensitive Affluent Shoppers”, you get an “emotional reward” for shopping at Wal-Mart. That almost sounds nasty to me.

And what is all this mention of emotions? According to the neo-capitalists (and to paraphrase Tom Hanks):

There’s no emotions in business!

Normally I would charge Wal-Mart with arrogance in a situation like this but I defer to Lee Scott:

Our size causes us, when we do something inappropriate, which is usually done out of stupidity, to come across as being done out of arrogance.

OK, Lee. You’ve convinced me.  Wal-Mart isn’t arrogant. It’s stupid!

Its gone now.  Guess they got to you?  Here is the message:
Forbidden

You don’t have permission to access /img/wmt_ppt.pdf on this server.
Apache/2.0.52 (Red Hat) Server at walmartwatch.com Port 80

TO: Neil P. Kearney
FROM: Ken V
<b>SUBJECT: I also downloaded the presentation...

I was only kidding!  :o)