Nothing says PR like hiring military veterans. The good news: Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are getting a lot of love from the private sector this year.
The Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based discount retailer, Dollar General, is pitching in on Michelle Obama's Joining Forces initiative to create more jobs for U.S. soldiers, the company said.
The positions range from sales associates and general warehouse employees to store managers and district managers, said Tawn Earnest, a company spokeswoman. She could not say how many U.S. veterans the company will hire this year, but said it will likely be close to the more than 3,500 veterans, guardsmen and reservists the company hired last year.
The job opportunities are due to turnover and newly created positions as Dollar General continues to open new stores, Earnest said. The chain plans to add 625 stores and 6,000 jobs this year.
Veteran hiring as a whole has risen in popularity over the past two years. Last month, Walt Disney Company announced its plans to hire and train 1,000 veterans over the next three years to fill positions across all of its business units, including those in sales and marketing at its theme parks and resorts, consumer product lines and media properties.
NBCUniversal and Comcast have pledged to hire 1,000 veterans over the next three years as part of NBC News' "Hiring Our Heroes" initiative. Citigroup last week announced its plans to hire more than 1,000 veterans this year.
Sales Buzz
Schulman's New Retail Gig (Retailing Today)
Joshua Schulman, chief executive of the luxury retailer Jimmy Choo, is joining Neiman Marcus as president of department store unit Bergdorf Goodman, effective May 7. Prior to Jimmy Choo, Schulman, 40, was president of Kenneth Cole New York and managing director of international strategic alliances at Gap Inc.
Bezos Pay (WSJ)
Jeff Bezos, Amazon's chief executive, earned $1.68 million in total compensation last year, the same amount as in 2010.
C-Tweet (Inc.)
More c-suite and other top-level executives should tweet, says Inc., as doing so helps customer service, business marketing and connecting with employees.
Marketing Buzz
Hecht's New Media Gig (Adweek)
Curt Hecht, former VivaKi Nerve Center chief executive and a more than 20-year veteran of the ad holding giant Publicis Groupe, is joining The Weather Channel Company as its new chief global revenue officer. He will oversee the company's international businesses, as well as digital and cable ad sales.
PepsiCo's Roster Cuts (Ad Age)
PepsiCo has cut its agency roster by 65% from 150 to 50. The survivors include the Omnicom Group networks TBWA/Chiat/Day, BBDO and DDB, as well as Omnicom shop TracyLocke. Those who got cut include some of the agencies owned by Interpublic Group and MDC Partners.
Crowdsourcing (Ad Age)
More marketers should use Facebook to crowdsource content, says Ad Age.
Buzz Around the Office
A zany football helmet commercial from 1932.
List of the Day: Using Humor
Humor can be an effective way to ingratiate yourself with colleagues and bosses. Just don't take it too far.
1. Be careful with sarcasm. You don't want people to misconstrue your words.
2. Deploy humor to make people feel more comfortable.
3. Stay away from sensitive topics.
(Source: Forbes)
