store brand
Posted by Abe Sauer on October 22, 2009 04:05 PM
Variety reports that the NBC network is developing a sitcom based on the experiences of a Wal-Mart ex-employee who is writing the script. But anticipating objections, "Wal-Mart has been replaced by a fictional big-box store." Said the writer, Paul Rust:
Based on some of the ideas I'm coming up with, I don't think it's something Wal-Mart would want its name on... This is the beginning of a long-running career in which I base things on industries that could cripple me legally.
That is a shame. If Wal-Mart got no bad press, would it get any press at all? From Michael Moore's unflattering anecdote accusing the giant retail brand of benefitting financially from the death of its employee, to charges it's killing the publishing industry by going to war with Amazon and killing the retail industry's Christmas by basically selling everything for pennies, to stereotypes of its customers as styleless Fatty McFattersons, Wal-Mart just gets no respect.
This is why a sitcom that lets the retailer poke fun at itself would be branding gold. If Wal-Mart demonstrated a sense of humor about itself, it might be less of a target. NBC itself is a perfect example of a brand that embraces humility with no ill consequences, with its Emmy-winning sitcom “30 Rock” which teases the network constantly.
It's easy to see why Wal-Mart would worry that its consumers would feel mocked by a sitcom like NBC's. But one look at some of TV history's most popular shows demonstrates that people love a good chuckle at themselves. "Cheers" portrayed its working stiff characters as drunks, a dunce, and romantic losers, yet charmed working class audiences. And the self-absorbed never missed an episode of Seinfeld.
And since Wal-Mart is now one of the nation's largest employers, a show about the brand would have a built-in audience. Who doesn't like to laugh a little at their boss?
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