Al Norman
Leaked Memos Turn Orange Home Depot Bright RedPosted July 30, 2007 | 09:08 PM (EST)
Home Depot, the retail giant known by its competitors as "The Orange Crush," turned beet red this week, when the Los Angeles media got its hands on a confidential strategy memo from its PR firm.
Public relations firms don't always like publicity -- especially when the bright lights are pointed at them. This week in the Los Angeles, California neighborhood of Sunland-Tujunga, Home Depot and its PR firm found themselves in a very embarrassing situation. Some leaked strategy memos between the retail giant and its PR firm had neighbors furious, and the PR firm just as angry.
A memo from Rick Taylor of Dakota Communications dated July 24th, spells out in vivid detail what Home Depot should do to convince the city council to approve its big box store. Such key strategy memos rarely see the light of day, and Taylor was reportedly furious that his memo to Home Depot was leaked to the press. Dakota Communications said it would file a report with the police, "which our firm will pursue swiftly and with vengeance." In the memo, Taylor outlines a plan for dealing with the City Council hearing tomorrow night. "Our goal is to galvanize a critical mass of supporters," the memo says, "to attend the hearing to demonstrate visible and vocal community support for the Home Depot." "We will identifiy five local residents and business owners to provide testimony at the City Council meeting...We will prepare talking points for these individuals, focusing on how a new Home Depot store will positively benefit the local community and economy," the memo says.
Dakota names specific commissioners it will focus on, in an attempt "to contact the Mayor to hopefully engage him on this issue on our behalf." The PR firm also promised to recruit 150 local area residents to attend tomorrow's hearing, provide them with transportation, and "food during meal times." Dakota Communications said it would bus supporters in by 9p.m. "to ensure that they are prominently seated in Council Chambers." "Finally, we will order orange t-shirts with a positive message about The Home Depot for all supporters to wear and so Council members can easily identify." The PR firm also promised "free media support" in the form of an op-ed for the Los Angeles newspapers, "a wonderfully sincere and compelling story about The Home Depot's commitment to Los Angeles in the aftermath of the 1992 riots and one that has yet to be told." The price tag for all this activity? $24,100, including $17,000 to hire "recruitment/organizers."
Opponents of Home Depot were appalled by the memo's contents. "We don't have near the amount of money Home Depot has and we wouldn't use our money that way anyway," Joe Barrett, of the No Home Depot In Sunland-Tujunga Committee, told the Daily News. "Our supporters come on their own free will, are not compensated, and pay their own way to attend these hearings, including getting off work, and for babysitters." Dakota said its firm does not pay supporters, but added, "There isn't one major project in the city that doesn't do this -- on both sides. This is what people do to get people motivated, excited and turn out." ......(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/leaked-memos-turn-orange-_b_58467.html