Here’s the high level story:
- The CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, wrote an OP Ed column in the NY Times that essentially trashed the concept of the Obama Healthcare Plan. [in full disclosure, I think Mackey is spot on].
- The primarily left leaning Whole Foods consumer demographic took issue with his comments. Keep in mind his comments were his alone and not Whole Foods driven or supported.
- As you’d imagine people called for a boycott. How many you ask…drum roll please…30,000 people at present date on Facebook. Yes, 30,000.
PR 2.0 (ugh I hate that term) pros like are calling for everything from a public apology from Whole Foods to the resignation of Mackey (one of the founders of Whole Foods). I’m taking the other approach and a page from politics 101. When you openly acknowledge someone’s comments, opinions, or viewpoints you give that person and their point of view credibility.
When you consider that Whole Foods’ sales haven’t suffered, the stock price has stayed flat, new consumers are becoming Whole Foods customers (I’m guessing they’re stealing right wingers), and the boycott number is a miniscule 30,000 people all on Facebook, I wouldn’t acknowledge, respond, or give credibility to these people. I don’t see the value or the return on investment. There’s more potential to do more harm than there is good.
Again, look at the profits since the boycott – it’s on a huge upward trend:
Every person that has a blog or a twitter profile thinks their voice is important. I’ve got to tell you, it’s not. Sorry, but it’s the truth. There’s a hierarchy for whose voice matters and I’d venture to bet that the majority of the 30,000 people are on the bottom of the list. Sometimes you’ve got to keep things in perspective.
Head of Social Media at Walgreens. Interactive marketer, innovator, boat rocker, continuous learner, movie lover, risk taker, dad and all around good guy. I'm always up for a spirited conversation. These are my thoughts and ramblings, not those of my employer.
