JCOM 2300- Press Release Assignment

1.
From Chaco's Press Release page: http://chacousa.com/Portal.aspx?CN=9F24101BC5B7&MN=85C1703521CF

2.
An article in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent entitled Chaco moving operations to China reports that by 2009 all of chaco's footwear will be manufactured in China. The General Manager Ed Wieland said that about 50 jobs will be eliminated because of the move but 10 to 12 of those employees will be placed in other positions. Weiland states that cost and also the defect rate are lower in China and that 95% of all footwear is manufactured in China. The article was very short and did not address the fact that many customers are outraged with idea of such an environmentally friendly company moving all of it's manufacturing to China. It also didn't talk about any of the things that Mark Paigen, owner and founder of Chacos, spoke of in the press release. For the most part it was a very neutral article just stating the facts of what the company is doing. It contained no opinion whatsoever.

3.
I chose to look at Chaco because I myself am a customer, owning five pair of Chaco sandals. I wasn't aware that they were going to be moving all of their manufacturing overseas until I read the press release. I have to say that I was disappointed with the decision but was also very impressed with the way the press release was written. Mark Paigen who is the owner and founder of the company wrote the press release with almost all of the content dedicated to answering customer emails. It included a question or concern that a customer had and was followed by Paigen's response. There were about 10 customer's questions that he answered. He didn't shy away from including some difficult questions from customers. In my eyes, especially being an actual customer, I felt that the press release was very effective.
The story that was written was relevant to the announcement that Mark Paigen made in his press release but it didn't include any of the customer complaints that Paigen addressed. I felt that the press release was much more informative than the article that was written.