His public policy pronouncement has already had an effect, the only questions are (1) how much, and (2) how long lasting will they be. For those who thought that Mackey was something other than a multimillionaire CEO, you now know otherwise. Debating about whether or not he should have revealed himself as such is a pr debate. He is who he is, and he has reminded all of the stakeholders of such.

P.S. – I am not a Mackey fan.

His public policy pronouncement has already had an effect, the only questions are (1) how much, and (2) how long lasting will they be. For those who thought that Mackey was something other than a multimillionaire CEO, you now know otherwise. Debating about whether or not he should have revealed himself as such is a pr debate. He is who he is, and he has reminded all of the stakeholders of such.

P.S. – I am not a Mackey fan.

But, like you, I can’t figure out why he would write an op-ed. I wonder what his motivation was. Mackey is obviously passionate about the subject, and there must be another way to express his opinion in a more effective way that would not damage Whole Foods’ brand image.

If I was working with Whole Foods, I would recommend the company take some sort of action. They are already in the middle of the debate like it or not. If the backlash is low, a statement or Q&A on their website (you’re right…there is nothing on their site currently) is fine.

If reputation risk is great, I would recommend the company convene a stakeholder engagement session where all sides of the issue are invited to participate. Mackey should be present to answer questions and explain why he chose to write the op-ed. Talk about the issue from a CEO’s point of view. What’s most important is to listen to his customers…have a respectful, open discussion.

Remaining silent and hoping it will go away is the worst thing a company can do. It won’t go away. But maybe Mackey doesn’t care about his upset customers then do nothing. But be prepared for a shift in the company’s reputation.

Paul – I agree that yelling and screaming doesn’t help the situation. It only shuts people down. If folks are going to debate the issue, they should understand what they are discussing. Know the issue inside and out. You’d be surprise what can be accomplished through meaningful, respectful conversation.

That, regardless of whether his comments were right or wrong, he chose to express them is a testament to his beliefs in those words because (regardless of whether or not the PR dept knew), he knew that his comments would draw the ire of a certain percentage of his customers.

In addressing the comments from Carin Gerzon about , and why would he do that to his PR department. Perhaps he viewed this as an issue larger than them, and felt that through his OP-ed he would be able to provide a critique of the current legislation that was credible. That, as someone who started a new food movement because of his beliefs, he could open up a more constructive review of an issue that is going to impact EVERYONE, before it is passed.