So Richard Edelman has apologized and Steve Rubel has apologized re: Working for Wal-Mart blog (details here and here, sub req'd); kudos to both. And while this will likely placate the most important stakeholders, there are also likely a Internet mass that is going to question hypocrisy, given Edelman's recent brio towards the space and their criticism of competitors who didn't "get it."
An enterprising blogger or young PR pro could easily go through Rubel's record of opinions and find plenty of times he excoriated a company for doing the same thing Edelman is doing now. Edelman gets and deserves credit for its mea culpa, and Richard Edelman gets bonus points for answering questions in his own blog's comments.
But the agency’s explanation for the infraction, its timeline, and its failures are currently unknown. While Edelman PR probably owes the community and explanation, commentors probably want more: a true dialogue that would prove incredibly time-consuming. And while Edelman still has time to actively engage with the 'Nets, that dialogue may take more time and effort than they are willing to expend, depending on what benefits they receive from engaging the fray. Given they also have a company to run, I can’t imagine that Richard will be able to answer every single one of his critics. One can only imagine that the same consideration might have taken place at all of the companies that Rubel has criticized in the past. There is some saying about shoes and other appendages that seems apt today.
An enterprising blogger or young PR pro could easily go through Rubel's record of opinions and find plenty of times he excoriated a company for doing the same thing Edelman is doing now. Edelman gets and deserves credit for its mea culpa, and Richard Edelman gets bonus points for answering questions in his own blog's comments.
But the agency’s explanation for the infraction, its timeline, and its failures are currently unknown. While Edelman PR probably owes the community and explanation, commentors probably want more: a true dialogue that would prove incredibly time-consuming. And while Edelman still has time to actively engage with the 'Nets, that dialogue may take more time and effort than they are willing to expend, depending on what benefits they receive from engaging the fray. Given they also have a company to run, I can’t imagine that Richard will be able to answer every single one of his critics. One can only imagine that the same consideration might have taken place at all of the companies that Rubel has criticized in the past. There is some saying about shoes and other appendages that seems apt today.
