The same day Randfish posts about social media poisoning the CEO of Whole Foods is outed for panning a competitor. John Mackey posted defamatory comments about his main competitor in the organic foods marketplace.
Company CEO John Mackey posted messages on a Yahoo financial forum under the user name “rahodeb,” according to a court document filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and postings on Yahoo.
Mackey’s messages painted a bright future for Whole Foods, the largest U.S. natural and organic grocer, and downplayed (insulted and defamed) the threat posed by competitors.
Whole Foods confirmed Mackey had made the “rahodeb” postings between 1999 and 2006. It said references to those comments were among millions of documents the company provided to the FTC as part of the agency’s antitrust lawsuit.
What is truly sad about this story is Whole Foods strives to be a outstanding model of integrity and quality to its customers and the community. This is not a good example of integrity by a CEO.
I am an advocate for quality natural food and wholesome products and had always looked up to Whole Foods as an example of this. I will now limit my shopping at this store.
5 Responses
Are you planning to blog more on seo and internet marketing – I would like to learn more.
That was a great blog. Most seo blogs are not even worth reading.
“Slimy little erotic tendrils” aside, I agree that it’s a bummer to hear about this petty and dishonest tactic from a company that as you note, “strives to be a outstanding model of integrity and quality” — this coming from someone who lives in the community where Whole Foods created quite a stir through this hullaboo about whether it was ethical to cage lobsters in tanks or not.
While it’s hardly surprising to hear the news, it is disappointing. Luckily there are quality local groceries in my market with enough natural food options to make Whole Foods irrelevant. Thanks for picking this up!
What exactly is so terrible about this? Modern advertising in general exerts a far wider and more insidious influence, and it is accepted…
It’s the *internet* on *comment boards.* Any mode of discourse with a standard of annonymity is subject to gaming through manipulation of assumptions. duh.
of course the corporate world, even those trying ‘reform the system from within,’ will slip its slimy little erotic tendrils through every orifice of human authenticity, cloning honesty to harvest disposable plastic truth, sowing chaos amongst the chatter of the flock, bending the minds of the unscrutinizing this way and that to various banners and every variety of elan. duh.
your problem, my friend, is with the underlying necessity that propels deceit unto the world, not with articles of deception, abstract or concrete.
imho.
(duh.)