OK, perhaps that’s a bit hyperbolic, but that’s how I feel about Naked Juice. My annoyance can best be communicated by an email exchange I recently had with Naked’s customer service (slightly edited for length and clarity):
Hi there,
I just learned that Naked Juice was bought by PepsiCo last year. Why isn’t that fact disclosed on your packaging—or at the very least, on your website? Such opacity doesn’t jibe with your “Nothing to hide” slogan.
What gives?
The response:
Naked Juice is a proud member of the PepsiCo family—we don’t hide that fact and if you flat-out asked us if we were an independent company, we would have told you the exact same thing. When we say we have nothing to hide, we mean it.
Other than providing us with the natural advantages of being part of a larger company (more resources, including juice knowledge from the folks at Tropicana, better buying power, etc.) we still are the same ’ol Naked Juice company....
We have the same spirit and wit we’ve always had and our focus continues to be to provide the best 100% fruit smoothies available.... We’ve never felt the need to spend a lot of energy shouting about what company owns us (there have been several), as it doesn’t determine who we are or what we stand for.
We appreciate the opportunity to explain, Bronwyn. Please be assured that we haven’t changed—we’re still the same little juice company in Azusa, California. And, as we say in Azusa, remember to always drink Naked.
My reply:
Not telling = hiding. Not only are you not shouting; you’re not even whispering. You do not tell people on your packaging, and you don’t tell people on your website. How can the “Our Story” of your website be complete without a mention of this extremely important part of your company story? It’s not even in the FAQ. How are consumers supposed to know these things? Call the company 800 number before buying a bottle of juice?
Frankly, I feel lied to, and that’s reason enough for me not to buy your product, even if you do operate with the same spirit you had when you were a little business (and clearly some transparency has been lost). It’s all about disclosure....
I encourage you to tell the Naked bigwigs to change the disclosure policy. If you changed it, I would buy your delicious juice again.
Consumers care.
