Dateline NBC's persuasive attack on Wal‐Mart

On December 22, 1992, Dateline NBC attacked the Wal‐Mart corporation. This episode provoked a flurry of supportive advertisements from Wal‐Mart suppliers in both national and local newspapers that sought to bolster Wal‐Mart's “Buy American” advertising program. A typology of persuasive attack with two components (offensiveness and responsibility) is developed and applied to Dateline NBC's segment on Wal‐Mart. Wal‐Mart's “Buy America” campaign was alleged to be deceptive. The accusations were: “Made in the USA” signs were placed on foreign goods, goods were bought from foreign factories that exploit children, business was shifted from domestic to foreign manufacturers, and goods were sold that violated import quotas. The attack focused primarily on the offensiveness of these actions. The attack was generally effective in establishing offensiveness and responsibility, an assessment consistent with reactions by Wal‐Mart and its suppliers.

Key concepts:

• Persuasive Attack
• Image
• Wal‐Mart
• Dateline NBC