Dear Aurora Dairy,
I'm just an ordinary urban middle-class consumer who finds this
statement to be patronizing, insulting and dismissive:
"Aurora
spokeswoman Amy Barr said organic standards shouldn't be based on an 'image of
Old MacDonald's Farm' held by people who may never have been on a farm."
(source: Yahoo article - 06/27/06)
Nor should organic standards be based
on an image of living beings as just another profitable renewable resource to be
factory-farmed like the poultry industry. People don't need to visit a farm to
know that living beings need open space...not just for the quality of milk, but
for the quality of life of the provider.
Buyers of organic dairy products
understand that there is an ethical problem with cutting off consideration of
the quality of life. It's not all about the quality of the milk, or the precise
physical health of the milk provider. It's about the intangible qualities of life
that all living beings share a need for. That may be inconvenient for a
corporation to consider, but if your market demographic does, you'd better
too.
And yes, I've read your entire web site, and even understood it.
Both its strengths and obvious weaknesses and spin.
The organic
demographic is apparently smarter, more informed and more ethically aware than
both Amy and Aurora Organic Dairy know. I've never boycotted anything but I'm
starting with Costco, Safeway, Giant and Wild Oats organic milk.
First
rule of marketing: Understand the people that buy your products.
"Organic" is
not just another corporate marketing niche...it's a set of ethical values. I
know that's a bit alien for corporate types to understand, but I think they
should get used to it to protect their bottom line, which is made vulnerable by
exploitation tactics and dismissive press statements.
Also, disabling the
Contact Us page isn't fooling anyone...it just damages your credibility and
trust even more.
Best regards,
Jeff Miller
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Open Letter to Aurora Dairy from a concerned consumer
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By Jeff Miller
June 27, 2006
