I’m obsessed with the Whole Foods blog

Whole Foods does an amazing job in marketing on many different levels - from the ‘we buy local’ propaganda placards, to the ‘whole kids’ line of white label, kids-focused products, to the store layouts emphasizing pricier items like bakery, deli and hot foods. They’re basically rocking.

But, the tactics they’re using in their stores, while highly effective at making me want their products, aren’t SO different than the traditional, in-store marketing strategies used (less successfully) by other chains. They’ve taken some of the basics - put your high-margin, high-appeal baked goods and prepared foods up front, do eye-level product placement and samples to promote best-sellers on the shelves, make those little “Shopper In Training” carts to occupy kids and get them addicted early on - and tweaked them to out-market all the other supermarkets.

Their online marketing, though, is where they really sparkle and innovate.

Whole Story is the cute name of their company blog, where they publish interesting and valuable stuff in addition to promotional content. In stark contrast with other, less savvy companies, they share information that’s actually useful to their readership: topical coverage on nutrition, agribusiness, and all other areas where they want to establish their expertise AS WELL AS tactical stuff on recipes, how to deal with leftovers, how to spot deals and fakes.

Contrast that with a company I knew of whose blog consisted entirely of repackaged press releases. Everything sounded fake (because all ‘news’ had already been euphemized by a PR agency and WAS more or less fake), and of course no one read the blog except a few bored employees when they had it emailed to them.

This company kept marketing themselves like this - selfishly tooting its own horn while pushing out a continuous stream of useless, untrustworthy information to its audience - and failed miserably. Their biggest mistake was convincing themselves that their audience was their mother - someone who’s obsessed enough with you and your specialness that she’ll read your 4th grade “Why I’m the Best” essay over and over again.

Before we go judging this company for being arrogant novices at social marketing, let’s consider the fact that MOST companies are this way. In fact, MOST humans are this way - and writers (and other ‘communicators’) are especially susceptible to selfishness. It’s stage one of communications, self-expression. It’s the “me, me, me!” of marketing and brand management. The catch is that to connect with customers, audience, and users in a way that’s meaningful to them and valuable to you, communications have to mature past the infant stage. The motto should actually be “you, you, you, us, me!”

I’m addicted to the Whole Foods blog because they get this. Ok, sure there’s some promotional content on there. But, it’s mostly information that’s useful enough for me to bookmark, share with others, and hold on to, first and foremost for my own benefit.

This recipe post about making natural, healthy rice crispy treats was a great example of mature brand communication.

Its successes include:

• * linked to the recipe (driving traffic and attention to their main site)
• * explained the thinking behind the healthy substitutions (promoting the Whole Foods ‘way of thinking’ and making it educational and worthy of sharing w/ others)
• * involves users b/c it was written in response to a user request (inspiring me to write in and get my recipe request resolved next time)
• * promotes products that Whole Foods sells in its stores

It makes me feel good about the brand that I’m supporting, and makes me want to spend my hard-earned dollas on expensive almond butter to make these treats.

It’s so legitimately useful that, even after all the analysis, I’ll happily become a Whole Foods Zombie any day.

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