Whole Foods CEO Omits the Whole Story

Lots of buzz today about the propriety, ethics and motives for Whole Foods CEO John Mackey. Mr. Mackey was revealed last night by WSJ as the alter-ego behind regular posts on Yahoo! Finance's chat boards. His posting focused not just about his company, but also about the competition, including Wild Oats, whom Whole Foods is attempting to acquire.

Obviously the blogosphere is flush with comments on the topic. Mackey himself says he did it because it was fun. Our take, from a marketing perspective, is that it comes down to transparency.

In this age of social media and connectivity, businesses must strive for transparency, honesty and authenticity. Social media, comments on chat boards, blogs, you name it: they're all an opportunity to engage in a genuine dialogue with the people who matter to you. By pretending to be someone you're not - and by misleading people through disingenuous methods - you miss the opportunity to engage in a meaningful way, not to mention to reinforce a brand your company works hard to create.

Whether for personal or professional reasons, YRG says: be who you are.

07.12.07 // 12:59pm