Though I like the subtitles Consuming/Discounting America, the effects of Wal-Mart go beyond the United States. I think it best not to have America in the title. From Export Processing Zones in the developing world to stores and super centers in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the UK, this is not just an American problem.
Aaron Gershman
· 4 years ago
I thought the original tile was greatit and I actually had a friend say, 'wow, that title is perfect'.
Marc Merson
· 4 years ago
To me none of the subtitles are great. Consuming America is the best. High Cost of Low Price should be plural, eg: low prices.
Daryl J Williams
· 4 years ago
Where can I send my paper ballot? I don't trust this electronic voting!
I like Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices. (plural)
Diane
· 4 years ago
George Lakoff is an on the ground heavy-hitter about language and its effects. I'd be very interested to find out what his title choice is or what he might come up with...!
Stella K
· 4 years ago
Wal-Mart, The High Cost of Low Price.
This title says it so succinctly. I have the cutest little dress I bought at a WalGREENS (I've never been in a Wal_Mart) for $9.99, but now that I realize it was probably made by a child slave in China, it doesn't fit so well. We elevate ourselves when we elevate those less fortunate than we.
gene
· 4 years ago
"Wall-Mart" = "Mall Wart" Try That
frances goldin
· 4 years ago
How do I voite for my choice? It would be: l) Wal Mart 2)Consuming America
Karen
· 4 years ago
I like the subtitle, The High Cost of Low Price, but... I'll vote for: Wal-Marted, Discounting America.
"Wal-Marted" because that has a nasty sound to it, just like what Wal-Mart is deliberately doing to America; and "Discounting America" because it is descriptive of how people are treated by Wal-Mart. (I do agree that it is not just a U.S. problem, but we weren't given the option, Discounting People).
F. Lees
· 4 years ago
I think : "Wal-Mart: The Movie" sounds more fun and intriguing and will draw in the people who NEED to see this movie (the people who love Wal-Mart and want to see a whole movie about their favorite store). The other subtitles sound like a somber documentary, which will draw in the few who already know what's going on, and it'll just end up preaching to the choir.
Jonathan
· 4 years ago
What's wrong with:
WAL-MART TEARING THE WORLD-APART
Bennett Windheim
· 4 years ago
Well, you're close. Mix and match the finalists, and you get:
Consuming America: Wal-Mart and the High Cost of Low Prices
I think THAT's your title...
Eric
· 4 years ago
I like the current subtitle, but I think "price" should be plural - "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices" Their marketing refers to low prices.
I would also suggest changing "High" to "Hidden". It's the things we don't see that makes the prices so low.
Also, it is my sincere hope that the film looks at how Wal-Mart treats vendors as well. My company used to provide phone systems to Walmart.com. When Wal-Mart corporate bought them out, they went out to bid for other vendors. We ended up losing to Cisco Systems. My little company versus Cisco Systems. We lost to a zero dollar invoice for services. Cisco made their money on the hardware. Tough for a company like ours to compete against that. And also tough for a company like Wal-Mart to say "No" to a price llike that. We left amicably saying, "Zero dollars for services? Well, you get what you pay for."
I'm looking forward to adding this movie to my collection.
Jim Driscoll
· 4 years ago
Since the whole fiasco is about low prices and profitability, I think the title of the film should be "Wal Street".
NETTIE
· 4 years ago
Personally, I also don't love any of the suggested titles. WAL-MART: DISCOUNTING HAPPY FACES EVERY DAY! makes me smile.
Antoinette
· 4 years ago
I like the combo of Wal-Marked: Consuming America because Wal-Mart very strategically chooses where it sets up shop in a very invasive and predatory manner. I think this title along with the tagline: "Coming to a parking lot near you" really gets that across. Although I DO agree with another post that said the effects are global and not just a problem in America.
chris
· 4 years ago
missed the original vote, so im plugging my own subtitle. Wal-Mart: Icon of Destructive Capitalism. Hit's the point without coming across as an anti-capitalism lefty.
linda jaskol
· 4 years ago
i don't think you're offerenig us the best choices. wal marked? what is that? the movie? kind of a waste of space. 'consuming america' at least says something, so that's what i voted for. but i don't think a subtitle like consuming america can fit with a "title" like wal-marked. so the mix and match idea is a little shaky. you had better options.... sorry, just one opinion.
Tom Joad
· 4 years ago
Mister, this here film should be called "The Wals of Wrath: Bringing Depression to America on the Cheap."
Tom Joad
Roger Payne
· 4 years ago
Your new sub-titles seem too in-jokey, too elitist. I think the title ought to speak its case clearly, not subtely. The main problem with WalMart is that it generates poverty everywhere: not just in developing nations but in America as well (I cite the study that showed counties into which Walmart has moved have fallen below the poverty line).
How about "WalMart: Sowing poverty, reaping poverty"
Nathan Deisman
· 4 years ago
The subtitles - only including America is a bad idea.
I suggest - Discounting Humanity or Discounting the World. It works on many levels.
The High cost of low price is ok.
D Branch
· 4 years ago
And how about giving away a bumper sticker that says, "Your Un-Employment Check Goes Farther at Wal-Mart"
Mal Karman
· 4 years ago
Would have preferred a title such as "Up Against the Wal" or "Up Against the Wal-Mart"
David Adler
· 4 years ago
Nothing to slight the finalists, but I wish I had heard of this earlier. Personally, I'd suggest this title:
I have a cooment on what I hope is still the "working" cover art for the Wal-Mart movie. Why isn't the smiley head not smiling? I think that it would be more powerful of an image if the face was smiling (as it is on all the other images on the site). It would just raise the 'creepy factor' a whole lot, and it would be a blatant smack in the face to anyone involved with Wal-Mart!
Jackie
· 4 years ago
I do not think the name Wal Mart should appear anywhere in the title or subtitle. It's an advertisement.
I like 'The high cost of shabby chic' also 'Third world to your neighborhood' 'The Waltons,goodnight Sam' 'No wages, No respect-No Way! 'Sweat wages,Greed pricing'
Gary Page
· 4 years ago
One title that comes immediately to my mind was "ROLLBACK" with the subtitle "The decline of American culture through WalMart business practices".
To me, ROLLBACK is what WalMart is doing to labor laws, unions, benefits, self sufficiency, and competition. They are rolling back progress to the days of indentured servitude when coal miners "owed their soul to the company store" [Tennessee Ernie Williams song]. The trade deficit with China is having a ROLLBACK on our ability to deal with the federal deficit.
ROLLBACK is my preference for a name if you are accepting any more.
Thanks for your efforts,
Gary R. Page Dallas TX 214.394.1726
Kiki
· 4 years ago
I saw a bumper sticker that had the best name: MALL-WART
jgilliam
· 4 years ago
Trent...
Jesse (the web designer) and I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. We want evil smiley! Robert disagrees with me... if we start a campaign to save evil smiley, will you support it?
SAVE EVIL SMILEY
Jimmy
· 4 years ago
"Wal-Street" "Wal-Street"!!! Oh I like Rollback too.
AJH
· 4 years ago
If you want this movie to appeal to the greatest number of people possible I would start with a title that will not put anybody off. Starting with Wal-Marked (although my favorite) will immediately put some people off with "its another one of those extremists" views. A title "Wal-Mart. The high cost of low price" says it all.
Trent
· 4 years ago
JIm...
I'm all for it. I'm also glad to see that I
Joe Newlin
· 4 years ago
Wow.
These are not the most interesting choices.
Of them all, the original title is the best. I wouldn't be too worried about reminding people that Wal-Mart has low prices; don't you think people are already aware of that? If anything the title would append the notion of cost to what they already know.
I resubmit my earlier suggestion:
Un-American: How Wal-Mart Rolls Back Values and Costs Our Communities.
This title echoes the "Un" theme of previous Greenwald documentaries, includes a double-entendre that plays on outsourcing and the populary-held notion of the American Dream, co-opts the Rollback trademark, turns the concept of "low cost" on its head, and includes the name of the corporation in the title.
Carolyn
· 4 years ago
I love the original because it is succinct, to the point, and instantly conveys what the movie is about (don't feel this way about any of the other choices, some are waaaay to cute.) Also agree that the "America" subtitle shoices are too US-centric.
WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price
is perfect! And for the record, from a marketing/how the title scans perspective, I very much disagree with the comments about making it plural. It just doesn't have the punch that way.
Anna
· 4 years ago
I voted for "Wal-Mart: Consuming America."
As much as I like "Wal-Marted," because it rightly implys that they are actually -- physically, spiritually -- _doing_ something to us as a country, I think it sounds awkward with all of the subtitles, except "The High Cost of Low Price." (The problem with that subtitle being, of course, that 1. It's easy to mix up the adjectives while speaking the title, which kind of defeats the purpose; and 2. using the phrase "low price" doesn't hurt them as much as it reinforces that they do really have low prices.)
I chose "Consuming America" because it is more ominous than "Discounting America," which I really don't think is forceful enough to really drive home how dangerous Wal-Mart is.
Wordy, but that's my thinking.
John Glasel
· 4 years ago
How about "America's Back against the Wal-Mart" for your title?
RON
· 4 years ago
I think your all wrong. What should they do become another General Motors. Let the UAW put them out of business too. Ate there any Wal-Mart employees posting comments? Why don't you ask their opinion. Oh that's right your all smarter than they be.
Glenno
· 4 years ago
They're all great...
But from a MARKETING standpoint (i.e., how to make it easy for people to repeat the title, and how to get the most people in to see it regardless of their opinions), the simplest, most appealing and least abrasive title is best. Therefore...
WAL-MART: THE MOVIE
seems the best choice from that perspective.
jgilliam
· 4 years ago
We're really trying to stay away from the "Un" and the "Out" titles... while we liked many of them, it doesn't help the politics of the film. Reaching into red state america. I realized after asking for title suggestions that we should have said that up front.
jgilliam
· 4 years ago
right on, trent! EVIL SMILEY
E G
· 4 years ago
I like Wal-Marted: The High Cost of Low Prices. Wal-Marted suggests that you've been "taken", which the whole world has, and both this title and sub-title encompass everyone who has been taken, not just Americans.
Marcus Guy
· 4 years ago
I don't have a comment on the mal-wart doc, but I have a significant point to raise about Uncovered. I find it a bit strange that oil was never mentioned as a motivating factor in the Iraq war. Judicial Watch got some documents from the March 2001 Cheney Energy task force that show they were looking at oilfields all over the middle east. They even discussed possible suitors to sell the oil to. I find it a litle unsettling that this issue was Un-reported.
Frances
· 4 years ago
Just got the ballot and voted, but I would have liked to have been able to suggest:
Wal-Martyrd: The High Human Cost of Low Prices
Robert
· 4 years ago
What about "Wal-Marked: Where You Pay for Your Savings"...?
And I agree that the effects of Walmart are global and thus "America" is better left out of the title...
Jesse
· 4 years ago
I just quickly slapped together the cover image with the original evil smiley Trent and Jim spoke of. Check it (rough version, of course):
I'd have chosen "Land of the Dead", but it's already taken.
Sandford
· 4 years ago
Well I wish I had known about the naming contest. I must have missed that one! I think we should call it Walled In , because we are all going to be trapped in their corporate world if we aren't careful. Can't wait to see it though.
Justine
· 4 years ago
Sorry I didn't get to submit a suggestion. I would have offered:
"Up Against the Wal-Mart"
Ben
· 4 years ago
"Clean-up in Aisle 6!"
UrthAnn
· 4 years ago
After reading the many suggestions and being too late for the contest on naming the movie, I will suggest a name anyway: "Wal Mart Attacks the Planet" It sort of goes with the poster art I think. Kind of like a Godzilla or Mothra or other giant monster, and it encompasses the varied ways that Wal Mart has messed around, hurting people and the planet.
Brad Byers
· 4 years ago
I think using the actual name and likeness of "Wal-Mart" in the title could be misleading Even with the subtitle for clarity, I think some people might think it's a documentary on the history of the company or some sort of promotional film. BE CAREFUL!
Lisa
· 4 years ago
I liked the original title, though including the plural would be a slight improvement. Its almost exactly what I say to people when I'm talking my "wal-mart" talk -- "those low prices really cost you" is my message.
I liked "Wal-Marked" better then "Wal-Marted" (just for sound), but I think either one adds a bite that is rather like an "un" or "out" in my opinion. If you want red states to watch, keep it factual. Thus, though more boring, I'd stick with "Wal-Mart". I don't feel as strongly about this as the sub-title.
If you do choose "Consuming America" (which I thought was very good), I think you have to stick with "Wal-Mart" as the main title. Otherwise you have a verb (Wal-Marked/ted) and a verb (consuming) and it doesn't make sense (read it to yourself: Wal-Marted: Consuming America). I think the verb movie titles only work with the "high cost..." subtitle.
Kathy
· 4 years ago
I kind of like 'Don't Let the Crackers Win' for a subtitle. I can say this because I live in Ozark, AR...
Carl Flatow
· 4 years ago
It just proves that, unfortunately (in this case), you value free advice at what you paid for it. I'm with Lakofff. None of the finalists is really clear, crisp and unmistakable.... But I like the poster and I'm still looking forward to the movie! 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
andrew howard
· 4 years ago
yourTAXscamMOVIE-mart.
we are paying millions to support wall-marts rip off of the american medical services landscape.no insurance = we pay daily. a little off subject,but my jaw dropped as i read this in "the flat world" by tom friedman nytimes.
George A. Polisner
· 4 years ago
Possible title: Hello alonovo. Goodbye, Walmart.
We are working closely with many environmental,. workers rights, direct relief, education advocacy and diverse group of people on an inclusive plan to shift America's consumer spend to businesses that are evolving toward embodiment of socially-responsible practices.
--George A. Polisner and the alonovo.com superheroes.
Scott Chabala
· 4 years ago
My suggestion for a name would actually be: Wal-Mart Always low-cutting, underminding and over-bearing, Always
Patti
· 4 years ago
I agree with F. Lees: just plain Wal-Mart, The Movie ,would draw in the most people who stand to learn something from the film. The other titles will pull the people who already have the information. Besides, I like the generic simplicity of it. P. Howell
Surfer Girl
· 4 years ago
in Hawaii, we call wal-mart ancient burial grounds.
shame on wally , i hope he gets eaten by a shark.
Barry
· 4 years ago
Having just heard a pretty damning interview about Wal-Mart on public radio, I'd like to suggest the title Wal-Martricide: The High Cost of Low Prices.
Charlotte
· 4 years ago
-I don't get WAL-MARKED or WAL-MARTED... -WAL-MART gets straight to the topic.
-THE MOVIE is just stating the obvious... -THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE is too long... -DISCOUNTING AMERICA suggests that Americans are not included in WAL-MART and its decisions..............that is slightly false because they still purchase from, and support the monster. -CONSUMING AMERICA is a good subtitle because looking at a map of WAL-MARTS across the USA.......the stores look like a fungus popping up everywhere and spreading and basically consuming its life-substance: Americans and their money.
I realize WAL-MART is now eating up other countries too...and the subtitle CONSUMING AMERICA does leave out the rest of em.......but oh well............its a major issue here so..........yeah..............idunno.........anyway................those be my thoughts.............. Ch
neilemac
· 4 years ago
The list of choices lack any modicum of imagination. I refuse to add my name to any of the those offered. neilemac (see how irony works!)
neilemac
· 4 years ago
--"Mall Wart" - Leision of Doom! -- At least it puns, the kids would love it. They're the ones whom create "blockbusters!" and it certainly would lure in the macho video game crowd. But yes, I know, they already decided the title will come from one of the couple or three unimaginitve choices posted. Just thought I'd give surfers another peek at my suggestion. namast
Kate
· 4 years ago
Sorry I missed out on the naming process. I would have submitted- "Unethical" subtitled- "How Mal-Wart Has Mauled American Values". Will do everything I can to promote this film. I love everything else Mr Greenwald has done
Morgana
· 4 years ago
I like Wal-Marted, but I'd subtitle it: Selling out Americans.
Stephanie
· 4 years ago
Another Evil Smiley fan. Makes huge difference. Turn that frown upside down!
melinda
· 4 years ago
The original title and sub was fine with me but as I read other suggestions I think about how many target audiences you need to reach for this to take off. Besides those of us faithfuls, I loved the suggestion of "Mall Wart" - Leision of Doom! Really the most creative of all of the other choices but I also like my translation of the subtitle The Discounting of America.
That gives an idea right off that America has sold itself to the devil in order to have good prices at the end of the line of the docks.
Consuming America leads to some pretty obvious visuals. there ya go!
RD
· 4 years ago
Fantastic poster. Can't believe with that poster that my "Walmartzilla" suggestion didn't make it to the shortlist. The shortlist things are either boring-and-to-the-point (something to be said for that, but still), or suffering from Lakoff's framing problem (2 subtitles have this). ~~~~
RD
· 4 years ago
Had another look at the shortlist. It's got to be Walmart: The Movie - blunt and to the point. The others are SO bland. "Consuming America"? Does that grab you? Surely we could have managed something with a bit more oomph, like "Chewing Up America And Spitting It Back Out"?
Can't actually bring myself to vote for any of the titles. :-(
chad
· 4 years ago
Although I already voted, I like the ideas w/ just Wal-Mart in the title. Like somebody said- it would get wal-mart "fans" in to see the movie w/ out knowing what it is about. I think we could get more people to see it w/ a less extreme title. Make them think it's almost a documentary. Those of us who know about the movie are already going to see it. Let them think this movie is for them.-The wal-mart fan.
Jackie Murray
· 4 years ago
I like Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices, because that most clearly describes the story in a nutshell.
Greg
· 4 years ago
Didnt get a chance to contribute earlier. I like Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices. This is serious business, no need to be cute with a play on the name. On the other hand, I think:
The Wal: Consuming America Brick by Brick
is pretty catchy.
I hope this film makes an impact and inspires people to vote with their dollars(our last legitmate political expression) to hold the ground thats left and begin to push these big box stores out of our communities.
tom
· 4 years ago
I realize this is totally inappropriate but I can't resist.
FUCK'EM ALL WalMart and the discounting of the American Dream
I know, I know -- but I still like it
Karen
· 4 years ago
Given that you noted in your e-mail that George Lakoff raised some concerns about the sub-title, I have been thinking: The title needs to "frame" our idea and create an image in people's minds of what Wal-Mart is doing to people and communities (the poster certainly does that!).
I don't see any benefit from softening the tone in order to bring in more people; most true devotees of Wal-Mart are not going to pay to see this movie. However, hopefully, many will see the poster, read the title, and if we get it right, that title will stick in their minds. And it may begin to diminish even the devotees' love affair with Wal-Mart (even if they never see the movie).
Isn't that the message George Lakoff has been trying to get us to understand: the need to get OUR message, our slogan, stuck in people's heads?
So, either Consuming America or Discounting America are the sub-titles I would use. Consuming America, perhaps works best with the poster (although I voted for Discounting).
Judith Dasovich
· 4 years ago
I agree with all the previous comments about Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. Don't say "Low Prices" because you lose the punch. Everyone already knows about the low prices, so it's a false concern about "advertising" for WalMart. It clearly states what the movie is about. The other titles are too cutesy, too vague, and may put off the people who need to see this movie the most.
JB Squire
· 4 years ago
I vote for "Wal-Marked: The High Cost of Low Prices".
Besides cleverly describing a few key concepts, I have another reason for voting for this title over "Wal-Mart: The Movie", and that reason is what I call my "Wicked Little Library Project."
I have been seeding several local libraries in my Red State with the "Uncovered" movie, (and "Outfoxed") and because of the movie title, it is difficult to search for it on library records. If you Google "Wal-Mart" (or search Amazon or do a library search), you will get a gazillion responses.
I am surprised at how difficult it is to get the "Uncovered" DVD into my local libraries (and keep it there). It's a wickedly simple idea, but I believe it should be a Progressive Initiative to stand guard over our local libraries, and use them for DVD screenings followed by democratic dialogues. * "DVDs, Dialogues and Democracy" *
Documentaries need to be the voice of the Progressive Party, for we live in a world where the sword of the image hangs over the power of the pen.
maren
· 4 years ago
I also vote for "Wal-Marked: The High Cost of Low Prices".
I live in Portland, Oregon where the local citizens do not shy away from going after the Big Box retailers. We're single-minded when it comes to preserving our neighborhoods and locally owned businesses.
A few years back, locals succeeded in fighting off Costco (after years of legal wrangling) and prevented a Home Depot from moving in to the center of an area full of locally owned businesses. The uproar from both proposals was so loud that both eventually backed down and out.
I just read in the paper today that Wal Mart has swooped down under the radar and purchased a 350,00 sq ft lot right smack in the center of a residential Portland neighborhood and plans on building one of their "smaller version" stores( if you can call 100,00 sq ft small!). Naturally, the neighbors and local businesses are up in arms and are adamently fighting it alongside local and national unions. Let us all wish them the best of luck!
Remember to tell your friends and family to put their money where their mouths are and don't shop at Wal Mart.
Power to the People!
Maren
If you'd like to sign a pledge against Wal Mart's treatment of their employees, go to Danny Glover's web site:
I'm writing a story about Centralia, Illinois, a town of 14,000 that has seen 3,000 plant layoffs in 5 years. They also have a Wal-Mart that's hurting small businesses. I hope you plan to show the film in smaller communities as well as cities where people are generally aware of the problems. Centralia has a neat vintage theater downtown which is - guess what? - shuttered because of the multiplex. Show it there!
Al Sheahen
· 4 years ago
What about "Wal-Marred?"
Argonaut
· 4 years ago
"Wal Mart, Consuming America... and beyond"
Caro
· 4 years ago
Hi all,
I'm putting in my 2 cents' worth in it... If we want to have maximum impact, I think we should stick to the plain title "Wal Mart". Why? Because if we pick "Wal-Marked" or "Wal-Marted", we put ourselves in the "Fahrenheit 9/11" category (don't get me wrong, I think that movie is great). The catchier/more agressive title will get the movie discounted as "some kind of leftist activist movie" and it will be treated as such by many people no matter how valid the points it makes are. Several more conservative people that would otherwise agree with its contents would not even want to watch it just because of the title that makes it sound like one more of these annoying activist movie instead of an interesting documentary. The same thinking applies to the subtitle: "The High Cost of Low Price". It sounds more educative too.
We also want people who have a positive bias towards Wal Mart to watch the movie to educate them, so picking an agressive name isn't going to achieve that.
After that, I'm living in the US but I'm from Europe initially, so I'm just talking from what I've seen after three years living here :-)
Todd Tdd
· 4 years ago
Some of my suggestions for the description category, title I like being Wal-Marted:
"The Meaning of Everday Low Prices" "Consuming Freedom's Value" "Examining the cost of everyday low prices" "Always lowering standards, Always."
Turil
· 4 years ago
I'm going to copy a previous commenter's idea and go with something like this:
WalMart - Discounting People
Art
· 4 years ago
I love "Walmart: Discounting America" It is to the point, and I love the "double"meaning in Discounting America...VERY INTERESTING!
Elke
· 4 years ago
I want to know what George Lakoff ("Don't Think of an Elephant") suggests - I think we better internalize his ideas of presenting mental models as they are brilliant! An earlier post suggested that listing the name "Walmart" is advertising, and I agree - and yet this phenomenon has grown beyond advertising - and hopefully the film goes beyond just that specific company to illustrate the pitfalls of just that mindset - cheap at all cost.
narain dass
· 4 years ago
Persons are happy when they get the best realisation for the output of the efforts they have done. They will get it under the banner "WALMART"
Stephanie DownsHughes
· 4 years ago
An even better main title would be: WALMARRED "The High Cost of Low Price" (current subtitle)
Let us know how to advocate showing of this via our commercial community theatres -- and via other venues.
I direct the "Just Views" program in DuPage County, (W of Chicago) Naperville IL 630/420-4233. We also help groups elsewhere start their own public-issues productions-viewing and post -view -sharing discussion groups.
I ACTUALLY LIKE THE ORIGINAL TITLE BEST. It is ok to remind people of the low prices, if we explain why the prices are so low. THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF THE MOVIE!
Have some faith in people! Most people are not educated about what they buy. There are people who know the facts but still buy from Wal-mart. Let's hope they are in the minority. If not, there is no hope anyway. I vote for trust in the goodness of people who are educated. We are supposed to be the honest guys and the good guys.
Rev. Dan Bayer
· 4 years ago
I wish I had known about this sooner My suggestion would have been
"Wal-Martyred"
"Killing the Community for Corporate Greed"
V
· 4 years ago
We must quell our activist arrogance, step outside our activist box, and remember: Those who most desparately should see this movie are those who will likely choose not to. Therefore, the title and publicity of the film should not emphasize whether the movie is pro- or anti-Walmart. True, most everyone will already know the attitude of the movie, thus, all the worse to advertise it. Remember Fahrenheit 9/11? Those who most desparately needed to see that movie refused to see it, because they were keenly aware of its content and attitude. (Unfortunately, Michael Moore already has a widely known reputation). A plain, "peaks the curiosity," i.e., "tells you very little," title and subtitle might be most effective. Think "advertising," not "activism."
Randy Schroeder
· 4 years ago
Hey Robert ...
Great idea, but make sure you get the Wal*Mart name correct. It's not a dash, it's an asterisk.
Just trying to help!
Good luck, Randy
Art Starr
· 4 years ago
WHY DOES WALMART HAVE TO BE IN THE TITLE? I like just "Discounting America"
Howard Campbell
· 4 years ago
I suggested the original title and the original subtitle. The goal of the movie should be to introduce these ideas to a broader audience. I'm afraid that turning the title into a joke becomes either preaching to the choir or off-putting to those on the fence or with a skeptical frame of mind.
I would like more Americans to watch videos like The Corporation, Inside Bush’s Brain, Fahrenheit 911, The Yes Men, Manufacturing Consent or The Power of Nightmares. The filmmakers and promoters of these fine films may find greater audiences if they use some of the techniques of the system that they are questioning, techniques I was paid $180,000 a year to help implement.
Most of these movies never get seen beyond the choir of their own church of reason. Why? They're really fricking long. America suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD. There is a direct correlation between TV viewership of children and incidence of ADD. Americans have trouble paying attention for sustained periods of time.
This shortening of attention has impacted politics. American politicians used to promise substantive visions of how we may better ourselves in sustainable ways. Politicians now promise to protect us from nightmares. Those of us who see a substantive portion of these nightmares as fantasies must get better at disseminating our visions if we hope to be effective.
It occurs to me that the bulk of politicians supporting the bleakest nightmares are most motivated by sales, either public or private. Those of us that question whether sales are the best way to measure the health of an economy are beginning to have greater access to the technology of dissemination, marketing.
Our goal is to help people break free of the spell popular media has cast on the masses. Unlike Scientology, I hold that there is no clear, spell-free state of mind. However, there are blatant lies that if taken as true will severely alter how you see the world and your relations to it.
Tactics of persuasion are often trade secrets. Having worked in communications strategies for the past 12 years, I have come across communication tactics and considerations that increase the communicability of the main ideas.
I would like the producers of dispelling materials to harness the effectiveness of the tactics used by the mass commercial ventures.
The most persuasive communications have deeply saturated emotional components. For instance, sales of Barney plush toys go up the more often Barney sings, “I love you. You love me.” Telling a four-year-old that something they can buy loves them increases sales.
However, Barney getting kid viewers to sing along with him as he sings, “I love you. You love me.” is a tactic of reinforcing Barney’s magical spell. Different tactics are more effective to introduce Barney’s magic. Interstitials, the on-air promos that suggest kids watch Barney show a specific type of play and fun. Singing love songs to each other is appropriate after a modicum of bonding. Documentaries that question big business are often best received by those that already have those inclinations.
Presently, the idea that sales may not be the best way to evaluate a system is a minority idea in America. In marketing, we talk about this as a challenger brand. The goal of a challenger brand is often to induce trial. During trial, it is then the goal to induce repeat useage. To this end, each of us with a goal of questioning our current metrics of success have a common agenda, to encourage trial and repeat usage of what mainstream America would refer to as fringe media.
Most documentaries I see substantively questioning if increased sales is the best metric of success do not engage the newbies. These media ventures tend to preach to the dedicated choir as opposed to welcoming new minds to these lines of thought. Too often there is too much presented in the primary movie. Was watching The Yes Men delayed at an airport a compelling part of the narrative? Why not put this as bonus material on the DVD? Similarly, in The Corporation, did we need to have the Nag Factor or the Fox News segment in the primary movie? I suggest that less is more. If we seek to appeal to the newly opened minds, we must become more intentional to this end. These movies should make one point and make it well.
Most of these documentaries ramble on without respect for the state of mind of those that are not already indoctrinated. Americans suffers from ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. If we hope to reach a broader base we must make each piece of media more accessible. We need to make them tighter, shorter and more graphically powerful.
Another criticism of contemporary fringe media is that it rarely induces trial of complimentary media. Mass media constantly drives its viewers to similar media.
How much more powerful would Outfoxed have been had it specifically addressed how Fox News had handled Fahrenheit 911? We could have been treated to a specific communication battle plan of theirs. Fans of Fahrenheit 911 would have sought this out and fans of Outfoxed would have had something else to watch to deepen their appreciation of the tactics used by NeoCon media.
A recent movie that respects America’s ADD? Supersize Me was a breakout success. I admire its creations of visually demonstrable facts and focused approach to the impact of a fast food diet on America. Granted, the Ron English segments might have been seen as superfluous by some, but the filmmaker wove it in as he made the case of the communication war and the limitations of those who don’t have the treasure chests to combat the companies.
Whatever this movie is called, I hope the feature is short and the bonus material on the DVD is extensive. The purpose of the movie should not be to make the movie your like-minded friends most want to see, but the most persuasive movie you can make.
Kelduyn R Garland, PhD
· 4 years ago
I think you need to combine 2 subtitles into one for the title to read:
WAL - MART CONSUMING AMERICA: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICES
Wal-Mart is consuming American communities and the American economy - this cancerous corporation is engulfing and devouring community resources and creating a minimum wage economy . . . which is the high cost that will be paid for the low prices they offer until they have completely destroyed the community's economy . . . and then they raise their prices to pad their greedy coffers -
Art Star
· 4 years ago
To Howard Campbell: If you are afraid of a funny title, are you also afraid of a funny Poster and DVD cover?
Phil Hasa
· 4 years ago
If you watch the trailer, it indicates that the film is about how Walmart has affected America. For that reason I like Consuming America or Discounting America. I'm voting for "Discounting America"
Donna
· 4 years ago
I opted for the originals because they would speak the most clearly to the greatest number of the uninitiated, I believe; and that's what we need to do!
Suz L.
· 4 years ago
I think the current title is best: Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price(s). (I would add the "s".) "Discounting America" has a wonderful double meaning, but I believe it's actually too subtle for the audience the film should attract (ie. not just the choir but real Wal-mart shoppers.) "Consuming America" is too subtle too. Wal-mart shoppers are proud to be discount-seeking consumers. I bet many would see nothing wrong/no other meaning in either subtitle. Stick with the clearest one.
Ex-Wal-mart employee
· 4 years ago
I worked at a Wal-mart for 10 months, not only did I get fired but time after time I was turned down jobs "because women shouldn't work in hardware" or "women shouldn't work in TLE". Oh, I was also going round and round with them about my employment status, they owed me over 2,000 dollars from overtime and guess, still no check, the title should simple be Wal-mart, destroying lives nationwide!!
Gregg Akita
· 4 years ago
WAL-MART : The High Cost of Low Cost
The seeming contradiction makes you think. It's succinct and is easy to remember and repeat.
It is neutral in tone, with no apparent negative implication or bias.
Sounds like Bill Moyers.
P.S. I wholeheartedly agree with Trent. Keep Smilely Face smiling. The visual impact is much stronger because, once again, the seeming contradiction makes the viewer think.
M.MARCUS
· 4 years ago
I certainly enjoy the banter...intellectual conversation. At last. Wal-Marted: The High Cost of Low Prices is the only viable choice of those offered. Too bad, though, there are so many others: Wal-Marketed: Screwed again! Low Prices: My Ass (and Yours, too!) Sam, You Made the People too Low! FYI: Will you have a legal problem using their (its) name in your title? Copyright laws, etc.? Pippi
Joan Donahue
· 4 years ago
Support poverty and communism: Buy Wal-Mao!!
nadine
· 4 years ago
I agree that WalMart isn't just affecting this country, but countries around the globe. My vote is for Wal*Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. I'd like to see US taken out of the title. The stores are generic and ugly and they buy from big agricultural coroporations like ConAgra who should also have a campaign against them for what they do to the environment alone. I can't believe we let this monster get so big!
bimbeot
· 4 years ago
Jim, Trent, Jesse,
EVIL SMILEY! YEAH!
As far as the poster art I like the Nightmare on Main Street idea but that isn't one of the choices.
I think "Wal-Mart" (and it is a dash on their signs) is the best and easiest to find for searches whether on search engines, bookstores, libraries, etc. It NEEDS to be in the title to define the movie with or without art.
I think it's funny that the ADD post is the longest so far. Couldn't finish... have to go back to it.
As far as tying in to the art, Consuming is the best other than original.
I have a problem with the "America" part of it since Wal-Mart is not just a curse in The States. So perhaps you could do as the book, "How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and What You Can Do About It" did with America on the cover by scratching it out and putting "the world" underneath in handwriting-like font...
There are a lot of Canadians, Mexicans, Europeans, and Asians with hope behind this movie too. The first thing I learned in 7th grade Spanish class (oh so many years ago) is that it offends when you introduce yourself as "American" because South Americans consider themselves part of America too.
But whatever, keep EVIL SMILEY!!!
Charlotte
· 4 years ago
WAL-MART - CONSUMING AMERICA
! ! !
Joan Bell
· 4 years ago
I like the name "Mall Wart" for it really is a wart in the mall. A Global Glutten.
David Cosgrove
· 4 years ago
I didn't know about title suggestions til too late. How about "Wal-Myth,the Frown Behind the Smile"? It even coordinates with the poster.
latichever
· 4 years ago
I was not aware of this contest before the deadline had passed, but my humble entry:
Wal of the World
Barbara Walls
· 4 years ago
I think that Mall-Wart is terrfic. It really made me chuckle, and I think it would certainly get attention. The appropriate subtitle, of course, would be "Lesion [this is the correct spelling] on the World." Sorry I didn't know about this before I went on vacation, or I would have added my two cents earlier than 9 July.
JD Lasica
· 4 years ago
So .. has a decision been made? :~)
JD Lasica
· 4 years ago
Ah! Looks like "WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price" is the final name for the movie. Nice, straightforward.
Ewxploited
· 4 years ago
Program on the emergence of civilization.
"14 species of large animals capable of domesitcation in the history of mankind. 13 from Europe, Asia and northern Africa. None from the sub-Saharan African continent. " Favor. And disfavor.
They point out Africans’ failed attempts to domesticate the elephant and zebra, the latter being an animal they illustrate that had utmost importance for it's applicability in transformation from a hunting/gathering to agrarian-based civilization.
The North American continent had none. Now 99% of that population is gone.
AIDS in Africa.
Organizational Heirarchy Heirarchical order, from top to bottom:
1. MUCK - perhaps have experienced multiple universal contractions (have seen multiple big bangs), creator of the artificial intelligence humans ignorantly refer to as "god" 2. Perhaps some mid-level alien management 3. Mafia (evil) aliens - runs day-to-day operations here and perhaps elsewhere (On planets where they approved evil.)
Terrestrial management:
4. Chinese/egyptians - this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds 5. Romans - they answer to the egyptians 6. Mafia - the real-world interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality 7. Jews, corporation, women, politician - Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.
Movies foreshadowing catastrophy 1985 James Bond View to a Kill 1989 San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake.
Many Muslims are being used like the Germans and Japanese of WWII::being used to hurt others and envoke condemnation upon their people.
I wish I could find a source to educate many Muslim fundamentalists. Muhammad is alive. He is a man chosen like Jesus Christ and, due to his historical status, will live forever.
They can affect the weather and Hurricane Katrina was accomplished for many reasons and involves many interests, as anything this historical is:: 1. Take heat off Sheenhan/Iraq, protecting profitable war machine/private war contracts 2. Gentrification. New Orleans median home price of $84k is among the lowest in major American cities, certainly among desirable cities.
Our society gives clues to the system in place. We all have heard the saying "He has more money than god." There is also an episode of the Simpsons where god meets Homer and says "I'm too old and rich for this."
This is the system on earth because this is the system everywhere. god is evil because of money.
I don't want to suggest the upper eschelons are evil and good is the fringe.
But they have made it abundantly clear that doing business with evil won't help people. They say only good would have the ear, since evil is struggling for survival, and therefore only good could help me.
The clues are there which companies are good and which are evil, but they conceal it very hard because it is so crucial.
I offer an example of historical proportions:::
People point to Walmart and cry "anti-union".
Unions enable disfavored people to live satisfactorly without addressing their disfavor. This way their family's problems are never resolved. Without the union they would have to accept the heirarchy, their own inferiority.
Unions serve to empower.
Walmart is anti-union because they are good. They try to help people address and resolve their problems.
Media ridicule and lawsuits are creations to reinforce people's belief that Walmart is evil.
Amercia is a country of castoffs, rejects. Italy sent its criminals. Malcontents. Between the thrones, the klans and kindred, they "decided" who they didn't want and acted, creating discontent and/or starvation. The u.s. is full of disfavored rejects. As far as the Rockafellers and other industrialists of the 19th century go, I suspect these aren't their real names. I suspect they were chosen to go and head this new empire.
Jesus Christ is a religious figure of evil. These seperatist churches formed so they could still capture the rest of the white people, keeping them worshipping the wrong god. And now they do it to people of color, Latinos and Asians, after centuries of preying upon them.
Since Buddism doesn't recongnize a god, the calls are never heard, and Chinese representation is instead selected by the thrones. It was set up this way. Perhaps dyanstic thrones had a say, but maybe not. Budda was the Asian's Jesus Christ::: bad for the people. "They came up at the same time for a reason."
Simpson's foreshadowing::Helloween IV special, Flanders is Satan. "Last one you ever suspect." "You'll see lots of nuns where you're going:::hell!!!" St. Wigham, Helloween VI, missionary work, destroying cultures. Over and over, the Simpsons was a source of education and enlightenment, a target of ridicule by the system which wishes to conceal its secrets.
Jews maim the body formed in the image of "god", and inflicted circumsision upon all other white people. I believe Islam is the one true religion, and those misled christians who attack "god's" most favored people will pay for it dearly one day.
All Comments
I like Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices. (plural)
This title says it so succinctly. I have the cutest little dress I bought at a WalGREENS (I've never been in a Wal_Mart) for $9.99, but now that I realize it was probably made by a child slave in China, it doesn't fit so well. We elevate ourselves when we elevate those less fortunate than we.
It would be: l) Wal Mart
2)Consuming America
"Wal-Marted" because that has a nasty sound to it, just like what Wal-Mart is deliberately doing to America; and "Discounting America" because it is descriptive of how people are treated by Wal-Mart. (I do agree that it is not just a U.S. problem, but we weren't given the option, Discounting People).
WAL-MART
TEARING THE
WORLD-APART
Consuming America: Wal-Mart and the High Cost of Low Prices
I think THAT's your title...
I would also suggest changing "High" to "Hidden". It's the things we don't see that makes the prices so low.
Also, it is my sincere hope that the film looks at how Wal-Mart treats vendors as well. My company used to provide phone systems to Walmart.com. When Wal-Mart corporate bought them out, they went out to bid for other vendors. We ended up losing to Cisco Systems. My little company versus Cisco Systems. We lost to a zero dollar invoice for services. Cisco made their money on the hardware. Tough for a company like ours to compete against that. And also tough for a company like Wal-Mart to say "No" to a price llike that. We left amicably saying, "Zero dollars for services? Well, you get what you pay for."
I'm looking forward to adding this movie to my collection.
wal marked? what is that?
the movie? kind of a waste of space.
'consuming america' at least says something, so that's what i voted for. but i don't think a subtitle like consuming america can fit with a "title" like wal-marked. so the mix and match idea is a little shaky.
you had better options....
sorry, just one opinion.
Tom Joad
How about "WalMart: Sowing poverty, reaping poverty"
I suggest - Discounting Humanity or Discounting the World. It works on many levels.
The High cost of low price is ok.
The Wal-Martian Chronicles
The Wal-Mart Shun Chronicles
I have a cooment on what I hope is still the "working" cover art for the Wal-Mart movie. Why isn't the smiley head not smiling? I think that it would be more powerful of an image if the face was smiling (as it is on all the other images on the site). It would just raise the 'creepy factor' a whole lot, and it would be a blatant smack in the face to anyone involved with Wal-Mart!
I like 'The high cost of shabby chic'
also 'Third world to your neighborhood'
'The Waltons,goodnight Sam'
'No wages, No respect-No Way!
'Sweat wages,Greed pricing'
To me, ROLLBACK is what WalMart is doing to labor laws, unions, benefits, self sufficiency, and competition. They are rolling back progress to the days of indentured servitude when coal miners "owed their soul to the company store" [Tennessee Ernie Williams song]. The trade deficit with China is having a ROLLBACK on our ability to deal with the federal deficit.
ROLLBACK is my preference for a name if you are accepting any more.
Thanks for your efforts,
Gary R. Page
Dallas TX
214.394.1726
MALL-WART
Jesse (the web designer) and I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. We want evil smiley! Robert disagrees with me... if we start a campaign to save evil smiley, will you support it?
SAVE EVIL SMILEY
I'm all for it. I'm also glad to see that I
These are not the most interesting choices.
Of them all, the original title is the best. I wouldn't be too worried about reminding people that Wal-Mart has low prices; don't you think people are already aware of that? If anything the title would append the notion of cost to what they already know.
I resubmit my earlier suggestion:
Un-American: How Wal-Mart Rolls Back Values and Costs Our Communities.
This title echoes the "Un" theme of previous Greenwald documentaries, includes a double-entendre that plays on outsourcing and the populary-held notion of the American Dream, co-opts the Rollback trademark, turns the concept of "low cost" on its head, and includes the name of the corporation in the title.
WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price
is perfect! And for the record, from a marketing/how the title scans perspective, I very much disagree with the comments about making it plural. It just doesn't have the punch that way.
As much as I like "Wal-Marted," because it rightly implys that they are actually -- physically, spiritually -- _doing_ something to us as a country, I think it sounds awkward with all of the subtitles, except "The High Cost of Low Price." (The problem with that subtitle being, of course, that 1. It's easy to mix up the adjectives while speaking the title, which kind of defeats the purpose; and 2. using the phrase "low price" doesn't hurt them as much as it reinforces that they do really have low prices.)
I chose "Consuming America" because it is more ominous than "Discounting America," which I really don't think is forceful enough to really drive home how dangerous Wal-Mart is.
Wordy, but that's my thinking.
But from a MARKETING standpoint (i.e., how to make it easy for people to repeat the title, and how to get the most people in to see it regardless of their opinions), the simplest, most appealing and least abrasive title is best. Therefore...
WAL-MART: THE MOVIE
seems the best choice from that perspective.
Wal-Martyrd: The High Human Cost of Low Prices
And I agree that the effects of Walmart are global and thus "America" is better left out of the title...
http://www.jimgilliam.com/images/save_evil_smil...
SAVE EVIL SMILEY! >:-)
"Up Against the Wal-Mart"
I liked "Wal-Marked" better then "Wal-Marted" (just for sound), but I think either one adds a bite that is rather like an "un" or "out" in my opinion. If you want red states to watch, keep it factual. Thus, though more boring, I'd stick with "Wal-Mart". I don't feel as strongly about this as the sub-title.
If you do choose "Consuming America" (which I thought was very good), I think you have to stick with "Wal-Mart" as the main title. Otherwise you have a verb (Wal-Marked/ted) and a verb (consuming) and it doesn't make sense (read it to yourself: Wal-Marted: Consuming America). I think the verb movie titles only work with the "high cost..." subtitle.
I'm with Lakofff. None of the finalists is really clear, crisp and unmistakable....
But I like the poster and I'm still looking forward to the movie!
2 out of 3 ain't bad.
we are paying millions to support wall-marts rip off of the american medical services landscape.no insurance =
we pay daily.
a little off subject,but my jaw dropped as i read this in "the flat world" by tom friedman nytimes.
We are working closely with many environmental,. workers rights, direct relief, education advocacy and diverse group of people on an inclusive plan to shift America's consumer spend to businesses that are evolving toward embodiment of socially-responsible practices.
Kindly Check us out - http://alonovo.com
--George A. Polisner and the alonovo.com superheroes.
Always low-cutting, underminding and over-bearing, Always
shame on wally , i hope he gets eaten by a shark.
-WAL-MART gets straight to the topic.
-THE MOVIE is just stating the obvious...
-THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE is too long...
-DISCOUNTING AMERICA suggests that Americans are not included in WAL-MART and its decisions..............that is slightly false because they still purchase from, and support the monster.
-CONSUMING AMERICA is a good subtitle because looking at a map of WAL-MARTS across the USA.......the stores look like a fungus popping up everywhere and spreading and basically consuming its life-substance: Americans and their money.
I realize WAL-MART is now eating up other countries too...and the subtitle CONSUMING AMERICA does leave out the rest of em.......but oh well............its a major issue here so..........yeah..............idunno.........anyway................those be my thoughts..............
Ch
At least it puns, the kids would love it. They're the ones whom create "blockbusters!" and it certainly would lure in the macho video game crowd. But yes, I know, they already decided the title will come from one of the couple or three unimaginitve choices posted. Just thought I'd give surfers another peek at my suggestion. namast
I loved the suggestion of "Mall Wart" - Leision of Doom! Really the most creative of all of the other choices but I also like my translation of the subtitle The Discounting of America.
That gives an idea right off that America has sold itself to the devil in order to have good prices at the end of the line of the docks.
Consuming America leads to some pretty obvious visuals.
there ya go!
Can't actually bring myself to vote for any of the titles. :-(
I like Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices. This is serious business, no need to be cute with a play on the name. On the other hand, I think:
The Wal: Consuming America Brick by Brick
is pretty catchy.
I hope this film makes an impact and inspires people to vote with their dollars(our last legitmate political expression) to hold the ground thats left and begin to push these big box stores out of our communities.
FUCK'EM ALL
WalMart and the discounting of the American Dream
I know, I know -- but I still like it
I don't see any benefit from softening the tone in order to bring in more people; most true devotees of Wal-Mart are not going to pay to see this movie. However, hopefully, many will see the poster, read the title, and if we get it right, that title will stick in their minds. And it may begin to diminish even the devotees' love affair with Wal-Mart (even if they never see the movie).
Isn't that the message George Lakoff has been trying to get us to understand: the need to get OUR message, our slogan, stuck in people's heads?
So, either Consuming America or Discounting America are the sub-titles I would use. Consuming America, perhaps works best with the poster (although I voted for Discounting).
Besides cleverly describing a few key concepts, I have another reason for voting for this title over "Wal-Mart: The Movie", and that reason is what I call my "Wicked Little Library Project."
I have been seeding several local libraries in my Red State with the "Uncovered" movie, (and "Outfoxed") and because of the movie title, it is difficult to search for it on library records. If you Google "Wal-Mart" (or search Amazon or do a library search), you will get a gazillion responses.
I am surprised at how difficult it is to get the "Uncovered" DVD into my local libraries (and keep it there).
It's a wickedly simple idea, but I believe it should be a Progressive Initiative to stand guard over our local libraries, and use them for DVD screenings followed by democratic dialogues. * "DVDs, Dialogues and Democracy" *
Documentaries need to be the voice of the Progressive Party, for we live in a world where the sword of the image hangs over the power of the pen.
I live in Portland, Oregon where the local citizens do not shy away from going after the Big Box retailers. We're single-minded when it comes to preserving our neighborhoods and locally owned businesses.
A few years back, locals succeeded in fighting off Costco (after years of legal wrangling) and prevented a Home Depot from moving in to the center of an area full of locally owned businesses. The uproar from both proposals was so loud that both eventually backed down and out.
I just read in the paper today that Wal Mart has swooped down under the radar and purchased a 350,00 sq ft lot right smack in the center of a residential Portland neighborhood and plans on building one of their "smaller version" stores( if you can call 100,00 sq ft small!). Naturally, the neighbors and local businesses are up in arms and are adamently fighting it alongside local and national unions. Let us all wish them the best of luck!
Remember to tell your friends and family to put their money where their mouths are and don't shop at Wal Mart.
Power to the People!
Maren
If you'd like to sign a pledge against Wal Mart's treatment of their employees, go to Danny Glover's web site:
www.changeamerica.com/walmart/pledge
www.changeamerica.com/walmart/pledge
I'm putting in my 2 cents' worth in it... If we want to have maximum impact, I think we should stick to the plain title "Wal Mart". Why? Because if we pick "Wal-Marked" or "Wal-Marted", we put ourselves in the "Fahrenheit 9/11" category (don't get me wrong, I think that movie is great). The catchier/more agressive title will get the movie discounted as "some kind of leftist activist movie" and it will be treated as such by many people no matter how valid the points it makes are. Several more conservative people that would otherwise agree with its contents would not even want to watch it just because of the title that makes it sound like one more of these annoying activist movie instead of an interesting documentary.
The same thinking applies to the subtitle: "The High Cost of Low Price". It sounds more educative too.
We also want people who have a positive bias towards Wal Mart to watch the movie to educate them, so picking an agressive name isn't going to achieve that.
After that, I'm living in the US but I'm from Europe initially, so I'm just talking from what I've seen after three years living here :-)
"The Meaning of Everday Low Prices"
"Consuming Freedom's Value"
"Examining the cost of everyday low prices"
"Always lowering standards, Always."
WalMart - Discounting People
An earlier post suggested that listing the name "Walmart" is advertising, and I agree - and yet this phenomenon has grown beyond advertising - and hopefully the film goes beyond just that specific company to illustrate the pitfalls of just that mindset - cheap at all cost.
WALMARRED
"The High Cost of Low Price" (current subtitle)
Let us know how to advocate showing of this via our commercial community theatres -- and via other venues.
I direct the "Just Views" program in DuPage County, (W of Chicago) Naperville IL 630/420-4233. We also help groups elsewhere start their own public-issues productions-viewing and post -view -sharing discussion groups.
DuPagePeaceThroughJustice.org
Have some faith in people! Most people are not educated about what they buy. There are people who know the facts but still buy from Wal-mart. Let's hope they are in the minority. If not, there is no hope anyway. I vote for trust in the goodness of people who are educated. We are supposed to be the honest guys and the good guys.
My suggestion would have been
"Wal-Martyred"
"Killing the Community for Corporate Greed"
Great idea, but make sure you get the Wal*Mart name correct. It's not a dash, it's an asterisk.
Just trying to help!
Good luck,
Randy
I would like more Americans to watch videos like The Corporation, Inside Bush’s Brain, Fahrenheit 911, The Yes Men, Manufacturing Consent or The Power of Nightmares. The filmmakers and promoters of these fine films may find greater audiences if they use some of the techniques of the system that they are questioning, techniques I was paid $180,000 a year to help implement.
Most of these movies never get seen beyond the choir of their own church of reason. Why? They're really fricking long. America suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD. There is a direct correlation between TV viewership of children and incidence of ADD. Americans have trouble paying attention for sustained periods of time.
This shortening of attention has impacted politics. American politicians used to promise substantive visions of how we may better ourselves in sustainable ways. Politicians now promise to protect us from nightmares. Those of us who see a substantive portion of these nightmares as fantasies must get better at disseminating our visions if we hope to be effective.
It occurs to me that the bulk of politicians supporting the bleakest nightmares are most motivated by sales, either public or private. Those of us that question whether sales are the best way to measure the health of an economy are beginning to have greater access to the technology of dissemination, marketing.
Our goal is to help people break free of the spell popular media has cast on the masses. Unlike Scientology, I hold that there is no clear, spell-free state of mind. However, there are blatant lies that if taken as true will severely alter how you see the world and your relations to it.
Tactics of persuasion are often trade secrets. Having worked in communications strategies for the past 12 years, I have come across communication tactics and considerations that increase the communicability of the main ideas.
I would like the producers of dispelling materials to harness the effectiveness of the tactics used by the mass commercial ventures.
The most persuasive communications have deeply saturated emotional components. For instance, sales of Barney plush toys go up the more often Barney sings, “I love you. You love me.” Telling a four-year-old that something they can buy loves them increases sales.
However, Barney getting kid viewers to sing along with him as he sings, “I love you. You love me.” is a tactic of reinforcing Barney’s magical spell. Different tactics are more effective to introduce Barney’s magic. Interstitials, the on-air promos that suggest kids watch Barney show a specific type of play and fun. Singing love songs to each other is appropriate after a modicum of bonding. Documentaries that question big business are often best received by those that already have those inclinations.
Presently, the idea that sales may not be the best way to evaluate a system is a minority idea in America. In marketing, we talk about this as a challenger brand. The goal of a challenger brand is often to induce trial. During trial, it is then the goal to induce repeat useage. To this end, each of us with a goal of questioning our current metrics of success have a common agenda, to encourage trial and repeat usage of what mainstream America would refer to as fringe media.
Most documentaries I see substantively questioning if increased sales is the best metric of success do not engage the newbies. These media ventures tend to preach to the dedicated choir as opposed to welcoming new minds to these lines of thought. Too often there is too much presented in the primary movie. Was watching The Yes Men delayed at an airport a compelling part of the narrative? Why not put this as bonus material on the DVD? Similarly, in The Corporation, did we need to have the Nag Factor or the Fox News segment in the primary movie? I suggest that less is more. If we seek to appeal to the newly opened minds, we must become more intentional to this end. These movies should make one point and make it well.
Most of these documentaries ramble on without respect for the state of mind of those that are not already indoctrinated. Americans suffers from ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. If we hope to reach a broader base we must make each piece of media more accessible. We need to make them tighter, shorter and more graphically powerful.
Another criticism of contemporary fringe media is that it rarely induces trial of complimentary media. Mass media constantly drives its viewers to similar media.
How much more powerful would Outfoxed have been had it specifically addressed how Fox News had handled Fahrenheit 911? We could have been treated to a specific communication battle plan of theirs. Fans of Fahrenheit 911 would have sought this out and fans of Outfoxed would have had something else to watch to deepen their appreciation of the tactics used by NeoCon media.
A recent movie that respects America’s ADD? Supersize Me was a breakout success. I admire its creations of visually demonstrable facts and focused approach to the impact of a fast food diet on America. Granted, the Ron English segments might have been seen as superfluous by some, but the filmmaker wove it in as he made the case of the communication war and the limitations of those who don’t have the treasure chests to combat the companies.
Whatever this movie is called, I hope the feature is short and the bonus material on the DVD is extensive. The purpose of the movie should not be to make the movie your like-minded friends most want to see, but the most persuasive movie you can make.
WAL - MART
CONSUMING AMERICA: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICES
Wal-Mart is consuming American communities and the American economy - this cancerous corporation is engulfing and devouring community resources and creating a minimum wage economy . . . which is the high cost that will be paid for the low prices they offer until they have completely destroyed the community's economy . . . and then they raise their prices to pad their greedy coffers -
The seeming contradiction makes you think.
It's succinct and is easy to remember and repeat.
It is neutral in tone, with no apparent negative implication or bias.
Sounds like Bill Moyers.
P.S. I wholeheartedly agree with Trent. Keep Smilely Face smiling. The visual impact is much stronger because, once again, the seeming contradiction makes the viewer think.
Wal-Marted: The High Cost of Low Prices is the only viable choice of those offered.
Too bad, though, there are so many others:
Wal-Marketed: Screwed again!
Low Prices: My Ass (and Yours, too!)
Sam, You Made the People too Low!
FYI: Will you have a legal problem using their (its) name in your title? Copyright laws, etc.?
Pippi
EVIL SMILEY! YEAH!
As far as the poster art I like the Nightmare on Main Street idea but that isn't one of the choices.
I think "Wal-Mart" (and it is a dash on their signs) is the best and easiest to find for searches whether on search engines, bookstores, libraries, etc. It NEEDS to be in the title to define the movie with or without art.
I think it's funny that the ADD post is the longest so far. Couldn't finish... have to go back to it.
As far as tying in to the art, Consuming is the best other than original.
I have a problem with the "America" part of it since Wal-Mart is not just a curse in The States. So perhaps you could do as the book, "How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and What You Can Do About It" did with America on the cover by scratching it out and putting "the world" underneath in handwriting-like font...
There are a lot of Canadians, Mexicans, Europeans, and Asians with hope behind this movie too. The first thing I learned in 7th grade Spanish class (oh so many years ago) is that it offends when you introduce yourself as "American" because South Americans consider themselves part of America too.
But whatever, keep EVIL SMILEY!!!
! ! !
Wal of the World
"14 species of large animals capable of domesitcation in the history of mankind.
13 from Europe, Asia and northern Africa.
None from the sub-Saharan African continent. "
Favor.
And disfavor.
They point out Africans’ failed attempts to domesticate the elephant and zebra, the latter being an animal they illustrate that had utmost importance for it's applicability in transformation from a hunting/gathering to agrarian-based civilization.
The roots of racism are not of this earth.
Austrailia, aboriginals:::No domesticable animals.
The North American continent had none. Now 99% of that population is gone.
AIDS in Africa.
Organizational Heirarchy
Heirarchical order, from top to bottom:
1. MUCK - perhaps have experienced multiple universal contractions (have seen multiple big bangs), creator of the artificial intelligence humans ignorantly refer to as "god"
2. Perhaps some mid-level alien management
3. Mafia (evil) aliens - runs day-to-day operations here and perhaps elsewhere (On planets where they approved evil.)
Terrestrial management:
4. Chinese/egyptians - this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds
5. Romans - they answer to the egyptians
6. Mafia - the real-world interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality
7. Jews, corporation, women, politician - Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.
Movies foreshadowing catastrophy
1985 James Bond View to a Kill 1989 San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake.
Many Muslims are being used like the Germans and Japanese of WWII::being used to hurt others and envoke condemnation upon their people.
I wish I could find a source to educate many Muslim fundamentalists. Muhammad is alive. He is a man chosen like Jesus Christ and, due to his historical status, will live forever.
They can affect the weather and Hurricane Katrina was accomplished for many reasons and involves many interests, as anything this historical is::
1. Take heat off Sheenhan/Iraq, protecting profitable war machine/private war contracts
2. Gentrification. New Orleans median home price of $84k is among the lowest in major American cities, certainly among desirable cities.
Our society gives clues to the system in place. We all have heard the saying "He has more money than god." There is also an episode of the Simpsons where god meets Homer and says "I'm too old and rich for this."
This is the system on earth because this is the system everywhere.
god is evil because of money.
I don't want to suggest the upper eschelons are evil and good is the fringe.
But they have made it abundantly clear that doing business with evil won't help people. They say only good would have the ear, since evil is struggling for survival, and therefore only good could help me.
The clues are there which companies are good and which are evil, but they conceal it very hard because it is so crucial.
I offer an example of historical proportions:::
People point to Walmart and cry "anti-union".
Unions enable disfavored people to live satisfactorly without addressing their disfavor. This way their family's problems are never resolved. Without the union they would have to accept the heirarchy, their own inferiority.
Unions serve to empower.
Walmart is anti-union because they are good. They try to help people address and resolve their problems.
Media ridicule and lawsuits are creations to reinforce people's belief that Walmart is evil.
Amercia is a country of castoffs, rejects. Italy sent its criminals. Malcontents.
Between the thrones, the klans and kindred, they "decided" who they didn't want and acted, creating discontent and/or starvation.
The u.s. is full of disfavored rejects. As far as the Rockafellers and other industrialists of the 19th century go, I suspect these aren't their real names. I suspect they were chosen to go and head this new empire.
Jesus Christ is a religious figure of evil. These seperatist churches formed so they could still capture the rest of the white people, keeping them worshipping the wrong god.
And now they do it to people of color, Latinos and Asians, after centuries of preying upon them.
Since Buddism doesn't recongnize a god, the calls are never heard, and Chinese representation is instead selected by the thrones.
It was set up this way. Perhaps dyanstic thrones had a say, but maybe not.
Budda was the Asian's Jesus Christ::: bad for the people. "They came up at the same time for a reason."
Simpson's foreshadowing::Helloween IV special, Flanders is Satan. "Last one you ever suspect."
"You'll see lots of nuns where you're going:::hell!!!" St. Wigham, Helloween VI, missionary work, destroying cultures.
Over and over, the Simpsons was a source of education and enlightenment, a target of ridicule by the system which wishes to conceal its secrets.
Jews maim the body formed in the image of "god", and inflicted circumsision upon all other white people. I believe Islam is the one true religion, and those misled christians who attack "god's" most favored people will pay for it dearly one day.