Kneading public opinion


White LilyGreat post by Randy Neal on how the blogosphere’s growing importance in shaping customer opinions about companies and how companies are responding.

This one involves a company close to home and a hallowed product in kitchen pantries, White Lily Flour, whose superiority to other flours long ago reached legendary proportions.  That would be great, except now blogging cooks are saying it’s not as good as it used to be.

They are saying that because the original mill in Knoxville has been closed and now this Southern tradition is being made in, eeh-gads, Ohio! (The Cleveland Plain Dealer story says the flour has been made for years at undisclosed mill in Ohio as secondary location to Knoxville, something that was news to me.)

J.M Smucker, owner of the brand,  isn’t rising to the volume of discussion that’s baking among blogging cooks.

Dell is often touted as a success story in turning the tide in brand backlash by actively getting involved in the blogosphere. @Comcastcares has been praised for responding to customers on Twitter and that big because Comcast generally has been an easy bad customer service whipping boy.

From the Plain Dealer article:

“If only the Smuckers would speak up, said (Alton) Brown of the Food Network, “they could easily win over the hearts and minds of every baker out there.”

There are recipes here.