Betty's Pop Culture Blog -- Iphone Friend or Foe??

Today’s blog is about an article by Michael Serazio article entitled Ethos Groceries and Countercultural Appetites:  Consuming Memory in Whole Foods’ Brand Utopia.  This article describes the cult following that Whole Foods Market has garnered and paints a picture of the personality profile and motives for its customer demographic.  In order to understand the article, the reader should have a good grasp of the words ethos and counterculture.  Ethos simply put is the belief system of a group of people or company.  Ethos is one of those words that have gained a great deal of buzz in the management arena over the past decade as marketers scrambled to determine how to brand beliefs and moral values into a company culture.  A counterculture is a group of people that have values that go against the common culture.  One of the best examples of a counterculture is that of one which is discussed in this article – hippies!  As described in the article, Whole Foods Markets is a company that has turned grocery shopping into an experience that surpasses the mere mundane act of selecting the typical no-name chicken, green beans, and boxed potatoes.  Rather, grocery shopping at Whole Foods transcends the mainstream grocery story by offering no-guilt products that give a warm and fuzzy feeling through both their natural/organic ingredients or by giving rebates or donations back to environmental groups that are related to the product ingredients.  Whether purchasing chocolate that donates 10% back to wildlife protection or cereal that benefits similar shoppers can have some sense of redemption for shopping at a store that has been dubbed “whole paycheck” for exorbitant prices that may indeed prevent the average family from patronizing. 


If you wondered what happened to the hippies after they cut their hair in the late 70’s, traded their sandals for loafers, and went to work, many of them went on to financial success and are now happily shopping at Whole Foods Markets.  Serazio explains the appeal of Whole Foods Market to the hippie counterculture and how they are a perfect match for each other.  With the combination of those 60’s change the world values and cash in their wallets, Whole Foods has become a playground for ex-hippies to indulge their desire for food that is organic, healthful and exotic.  
 The article points out interesting incongruences in culture versus motive.  On the one hand, the brand of Whole Foods and the reputation of its founder, John Mackey, is that of easy-going, organic, natural and with a desire to make the world a better place.  The article also points out that all of this free loving goodness comes at a high cost.  It is a way, however, for the now affluence hippies from the 60’s to feel good about being part of the establishment.   As described though, Whole Foods is quickly going from a niche market to more mainstream as continue to sell their “lifestyle shopping.”  Although Whole Foods likes to identify itself with the hippie mentality, they are wholly about making money as evidence with John Mackey’s (CEO) rules over “an empire of 1.4 billion.”  (pg. 164)
 I thought this was an interesting article and that is accurately described the socially conscious and financially successful shoppers of Whole Foods Market.  I enjoyed Serazio’s analysis of this socially conscious mega grocer. 
Serazio, M. (2011). Ethos Groceries and Countercultural Appetites: Consuming Memory in Whole Foods Brand Utopia. The Journal of Popular Culture 44(1), p. 158-177.  Retrieved April 26, 2012 from:  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2010.00825.x/abstract;jsessionid=A9124EA316F5D02AF69542FE4F91B271.d02t02?userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=