This document compares the social media platforms of Whole Foods Market and The Fresh Market. It provides a brief history of each company and an overview of their goals and operations. It then analyzes each company's presence and tactics on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. While both companies utilize social media similarly given their comparable products, the document finds that Whole Foods demonstrates more advanced techniques, such as posting engaging videos on Facebook and leveraging hashtags. The Fresh Market could improve by increasing posts and interactions.

1. WHOLE FOODS MARKET
VS.
THE FRESH MARKET
Who has most “organic” social platforms?
Jamie Cherf

2. The following brand comparison paper is going to illustrate the differences between Whole Foods Market and The Fresh
Market on social media platforms. A brief history and overview of each of the companies will be given in order to provide
further insight, along with a glance at the main goals of each company’s website. The platforms which contain the most
activity from both companies will be compared within this paper and include, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and
Pinterest. There will be several different factors that will be measured on each platform to ultimately see which company is
more advanced in their techniques on social platforms. Both Whole Foods Market and The Fresh Market, use social
platforms very similarly given that they are very similar in the products they sell and how they desire to market themselves.
Overall, both Whole Foods Market and The Fresh Market are very present on social platforms; however, as one will see
throughout this paper, one company demonstrates that they are more advanced in this realm. After looking at the different
platforms belonging to both Whole Foods Market and The Fresh Market individually, it will be easier to determine ”Who has
the most “organic” social platforms?”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
VS.

3. In 1978, John Mackey, along with Renee Lawson desired to venture out and open a natural
food store; however, as it tends to be with opening most dream businesses, not having
enough money was a major issue. Together, the two were able to end up borrowing
$45,000 from friends and family. From the $45,000 borrowed, the natural food store,
SaferWay was opened in Austin, Texas as a play off of the American supermarket Safeway.
As time went on, Mackey and Lawson ended up being evicted from their apartment after
they had been caught storing food products for the store in the property and decided to live
at the store. In 1980, Mackey ended up merging with the owners of the Clarksville Natural
Grocery, which turned into Whole Foods Market on September 20, 1980. Just as business
seemed to be on its way, a giant flood came through Austin, Texas in 1981, which ultimately
cost Whole Foods Market $400,000. Eventually, with the help of others pitching in for the
costs of damages, the store was able to reopen.
HISTORY: WHOLE FOODS MARKET

4. Currently, Whole Foods Market is a publicly traded company that has grown to have around 91,000 employees
spread out among 431 supermarkets. Whole Foods Market states that they have the, “finest natural and organic
foods available, maintain the strictest quality standards in the industry, and have an unshakeable commitment to
sustainable agriculture.” Whole Foods Market has been the face of multiple attacks, whether it be the argument that
they only use “natural” as a marketing tool or promote their own brand at the expense of smaller or local brands.
Social media platforms have played a vital role in being a tool that the company can use to to communicate with
consumers what they really stand for. The products sold in Whole Foods Market stores are purchased from local,
regional, and international suppliers and vendors. Some regions have an employee whose job title is ”forager,” with
his or her sole purpose being to stock the stores with local products. In 2007, Whole Foods Market, launched the
Whole Trade Guarantee. The Whole Trade Guarantee works to emphasize the importance of ethics and social
responsibility regarding imported products. The company finds it important to make sure that they are paying fair
prices for crops, are buying from companies with environmentally friendly practices, and work to supply better
wages and worker conditions. Therefore, one percent of the proceeds from Whole Trade products go toward the
Whole Planet Foundation, which then supports programs in developing countries. Continuing its goal to be
environmentally friendly, in 2008, Whole Foods Market was the first supermarket in the United States to eliminate
plastic grocery bags.
COMPANY OVERVIEW: WHOLE FOODS MARKET

5. On March 8, 1982, in Greensboro, North Carolina, Ray and Beverly Berry put all of the money they
had saved in order to open a grocery store. However, the Berry’s wanted this grocery store to be
different than just any regular supermarket. The two set out to create a “fresh take on grocery
shopping.” The Fresh Market was created to replicate the idea of European-style markets. Both Ray
and Beverly Berry wanted the experience to be different at The Fresh Market. Products ranged from
“fresh cut flowers, fresh cut meats, fresh products... even free samples of fresh brewed coffee.”
They wanted to make sure the store would be personal and not commercialized. The store was
made to be inviting, yet have a rustic feel.
HISTORY: THE FRESH MARKET

6. Today, The Fresh Market has 170 stores that employs around 6,250 people. The Fresh Market is
a publicly traded company. As stated in the store name, The Fresh Market really prides itself in
working for everything to be very fresh. They also hold a large importance in each store having
each store be very personal and different in comparison to any regular grocery store, whether that
be in the way that they play classical music or have warm lighting to create the perfect ambiance.
The Fresh Market also holds a large emphasis on supporting local growers and charities. The
main goal is to focus on customers and their shopping experience. Food is displayed behind
glass so that consumers can see the freshness of the products they are about to purchase.
Among other awards, in 2013, The Fresh Market won the award for the “Best Bulk Foods
Retailer,” by the Bulk Green Council. This council works to educate consumers about the benefits
of buying food in bulk. The company also was named the “Natural and Organic Retailer of the
Year” by Grocery Headquarters Magazine. Overall, social platforms have provided a means for the
company to market to consumers the products they offer and standards of freshness they hold.
COMPANY OVERVIEW: THE FRESH MARKET

7. SOCIAL MENTION FACTS
Whole Foods Market The Fresh Market
Strength: 70% Strength: 81%
Sentiment: 20:1 Sentiment: 12:1
Passion:47% Passion: 21%
Reach: 36% Reach: 58%

8. Whole Foods Market The Fresh Market
Facebook: 1,960,822 likes Facebook: 225,628 likes
Twitter: 4,810,000 followers Twitter: 19,600 followers
LinkedIn: 161,148 followers LinkedIn: 11,604 followers
Instagram: 958,000 followers Instagram: 9,619 followers
Pinterest: 285,289 followers Pinterest: 3,771 followers
HOW THE STATS LINE UP

9. Whole Foods Market has quite the website.
The layout is very simple and organized, yet
very appealing. All of the company’s social
platforms are listed and are linked from the
website, which creates easy access for
consumers. As pictured to the left, anyone
who visits the Whole Foods Market Website
instantly sees delicious food pictured. These
food pictures create the idea in consumer’s
minds that by shopping at Whole Foods
Market, they too can create a meal this
good to eat at home or pick up at the store.
Whole Foods Market also does a
phenomenal job of connecting consumers
on their social platforms, as pictured on the
bottom left, which will be discussed in
further detail later. Whole Foods also has a
mobile app consumers can download for
digital coupons, which is pictured bottom
right.
WEBSITE: WHOLE FOODS MARKET

10. The Fresh Market also provides a very simplified website
with all of their social platforms linked to make access
easy for consumers. As pictured on the top right, The
Fresh Market features Recipes, Ideas and Tips,
Information about the Community, and the Specials they
are running. The Fresh market provides an easy way for
consumers to plan meals. Through easy recipes being
provided, consumers realize it is possible for them to
replicate, and are more likely to purchase products at The
Fresh Market if that is where the recipe is from. There is
also a Weekly Newsletter consumers can sign up for on
the website for further information and tips.
WEBSITE: THE FRESH MARKET

11. There are a few main takeaways to gather from the Whole Foods Market
Facebook page. First, as pictured on the top left, Whole Foods Market
capitalizes on the way Facebook allows videos to easily be posted. As a
supermarket, Whole Foods is able to post demonstrational and
informational videos that are usually less than one minute that consumers
can tune into while browsing through Facebook. Some examples of the
videos the company posts include: “How to master an omelet” and “How
to keep Herbs Fresh.” Some of the videos, such as “Planning an Easter
Menu,” are even more detailed, which makes them a little longer. On top
of posting beautiful pictures of delicious foods, Whole Foods Market
works to respond to consumers. As shown in the bottom left pictures,
Whole Foods Market used the company Facebook page to clear up any
confusion about the company supporting Monsanto. They also
responded to a comment to help a follower find a recipe they had
posted. Because Whole Foods Market has been the subject of several
controversies, one of the main ways they can continue to thrive on social
platforms is by responding as much as possible to the people that visit
their company page. Whole Foods Market also created a Facebook
page for their Whole Planet Foundation that posts about the different
activities they are involved in through that foundation that are having a
positive impact, which was very smart on their end.
FACEBOOK:WHOLE FOODS MARKET

12. The Fresh Market uses Facebook as a social platform where they advertise the
different products they offer that consumers can buy, as pictured top right. The Fresh
Market also does a phenomenal job of listing the different specials they are offering in
the store for consumers to know what food they can buy and save money. The
company also does a good job of encouraging consumers to purchase products that
have been made in the stores. For example, as pictured, The Fresh Market, used
Easter to their advantage to market their coconut cake as something consumers
should pick up for their Easter dinner. The Fresh Market also lists a specific e-mail
dealing with social media on their Facebook, which is smart so that visitors can easily
get in contact with them dealing with social platforms. The company’s Facebook page
also contains an album of all different stores opening around the country. This can be
exciting for the people in that area, but not really for consumers not located nearby,
which could lead to a wasted post. Overall, after scrolling through The Fresh Market’s
Facebook page, one can see that the company has definitely improved its picture
quality, which is very important, especially for a company marketing pictures of food.
Some short videos about products are also posted every so often on the page, which
have also appear to have improved in quality. The company has a lot less visitors than
the Whole Foods Facebook page, and does not appear to interact with visitors at all.
Some type of interaction on Facebook is essential for a company to demonstrate they
care about what visitors are saying on their page.
FACEBOOK:THE FRESH MARKET

13. Next, are the “delicious tweets from Whole Foods.” As apparent in the top
right photo, Whole Foods Market does not shy away from posting photos
with almost 5,000 photos and videos posted. Because Twitter is a platform
that focuses on real-time posts, timing is everything. Whole Foods Market
makes sure to tweet suggestions based on the time of the day. For
example, the company will tweet different breakfast ideas around the times
people are waking up on a Saturday morning in order to catch people at the
time they are about to make a Saturday morning breakfast. Or better yet,
wouldn’t the perfect alternative be to drive consumers to the store to buy
their Saturday breakfast food? One way Whole Foods Market could use
Twitter for further marketing, would be to tweet specials that would only last
for a certain amount of time to drive more traffic. People would be more likely
to follow their tweets if they knew they could get certain specials, which
would then lead to a greater likelihood for them to come to the store. Many
different hashtags are also used on the Whole Foods Twitter, as seen to the
right. Hashtags such as #Easter and #brunch, could lead to more site traffic
based on people looking for Easter Brunch ideas. Because Twitter does not
allow for too many characters to be posted, Whole Foods makes sure to link
recipes on the photos they post so that visitors can easily access more
detailed instructions and are also directed to the Whole Foods Market
website.
TWITTER: WHOLE FOODS MARKET

14. Fully filled with alliterations would be one way to describe The Fresh Market Twitter. Some examples, as seen pictured top
left, include Fish Fridays, Perfect Pairings, and Fresh Finds. These are a cute way to gain consumer’s attention and make
products offered easy for them to remember. The Fresh Market does use the occasional hashtag, however the company
could definitely improve by using them more often in posts to drive some more traffic. Also, the pictures that The Fresh
Market posts are very colorful and look delicious; however, they only have around 800 photos and videos posted. They did
join Twitter 2 years after Whole Foods Market, but a little increase in posts would not be a bad idea for The Fresh Market.
Within the posts that The Fresh Market does make, the company does feature neat graphics to grab the attention of
followers, such as the March Madness post pictured top middle. They also include recipe links within their tweets, which is
really wise and leads traffic to their website. The final thing The Fresh Market does a really good job with on Twitter is
retweeting tweets that the products they sell post. This creates variety on the page and shows that they really believe and
support the brands they choose to sell.
TWITTER: THE FRESH MARKET

15. Moving to a more professional platform, Whole Foods Market, uses
LinkedIn to talk about the different organizations they are involved with,
the new locations they are opening, and showcase the different
awards they have won. The company’s page is simple, yet very
professional. There are not too many pictures posted, rather the
company uses the platforms to post about different job openings they
have within the company. Overall, Whole Foods Market does a good
job on LinkedIn in the way that they post on the platform about who
they are as a company, but could be a little more active on the
platform. For example, the company could post about the positive
influence the Whole Planet Foundation has made to further the
corporate social responsibility they are fulfilling.
LINKEDIN: WHOLE FOODS MARKET

16. The Fresh Market also uses LinkedIn in a very
professional sense, which includes using the
platform to advertise about possibly working for
the company and talking about the different
organizations they are involved with. The Fresh
Market could definitely use the platform for their
advantage a little more by having the space
provided talk about the goals and beliefs of the
company in further detail. The Fresh Market
works to reach followers by posting encouraging
quotes called “Inspiring Success” on the
platform. They also encourage others to tag
friends in posts, which leads to more traffic on
the platform. One of the most unique things that
The Fresh Market uses LinkedIn for is to
showcase specific stories of employees working
for The Fresh Market. This makes the company
more humanized and shows that they really care
for their employees by taking time to post their
personal stories on the company’s platform.
LINKEDIN: THE FRESH MARKET

17. A major key in having “organic” social platforms is to not
reuse the same material on each platform. One way that
Whole Foods Market does a great job making sure to
avoid that is by the use of the hashtag #Foods4Thought.
The company encourages followers to post pictures with
that hashtag and Whole Foods may re-gram the post.
The pictures with the hashtag range from meal ideas to
super artsy pictures of a bottle of tea perfectly placed
outside. Overall, this encourages consumer participation
and creates excitement. This method leads others to the
company’s page when they see the posts and tags that
people post. Whole Foods also asks questions at the
end of posts so that followers can respond. One
downfall of that is that Whole Foods does not seem to
really respond to the answers they receive, which would
also be hard to keep up with. The continuation of linking
recipes to the pictures is a great way to drive people to
the Whole Foods website, and hopefully leads to more
buyers of the products to make the recipes. Also,
because the pictures that the company posts look so
delicious, people actually desire to learn how to make
the food themselves.
INSTAGRAM: WHOLE FOODS MARKET

18. Similar to Whole Foods Market, The Fresh Market
also makes use of hashtags on Instagram to drive
traffic. They encourage the use of the hashtag
#FreshFinds to be used by people to post a picture
of the items they have bought at The Fresh Market.
The Fresh Market posts delicious pictures of food,
however they post the recipie directions on Instagram
with the picture. A link should be posted to minimize
text and also draw people to the company website.
The Fresh Market also has included short, cute
videos on Instagram, such as one featuring different
dips that could be made to eat while watching March
Madness. The Fresh Market is strategic in the way
that they take advantage of different holidays to base
their posts around. They even post on National Chip
Day, which only a grocery storewould be able to get
away with!
INSTAGRAM: THE FRESH MARKET

19. Consisting of 32 different boards ranging among all
different topics, Whole Food’s Pinterest Board is
absolutely stunning. Some of the boards filled with
breathtaking pictures include Spring and Easter
Recipes, DIY Weddings, Information about Pollinators,
and other various recipe boards. Some of the boards
are very relevant to the season, which conveys to
followers that Whole Foods Market works to keep the
page up to date. Keeping consistent with other social
platforms there is also an entire board dedicated to
the Whole Planet Foundation. Whole Foods Market
does repeat some of the stuff they put on Pinterest on
other platforms, however, they also work to offer
different things as well. Once again links are provided
for recipes, which lead visitors to the Whole Foods
Market website. Overall, the company’s Pinterest is
very organized and allows followers to dream about
being able to cook wonderful meals, but the
instructions provided also make that dream a reality.
PINTEREST: WHOLE FOODS MARKET

20. Keeping up with the Whole Foods Market Pinterest page, The Fresh
Market’s Pinterest is also made up of 32 different boards. However, the
boards they offer are different. Some include Meatless Mondays, Fresh off
the Grill, and Gluten Free recipes. The Fresh Market also has the page
organized very well, provides links for recipes that lead to The Fresh
Market website, and works to use holidays and seasons to somewhat
guide them when creating boards. The Fresh Market chose to keep the
trend of the hashtag #FreshFinds on their Pinterest which leads to a lot of
repetition between social platforms.
PINTEREST: THE FRESH MARKET

21. In conclusion, this analysis was designed to provide a “whole”some and ”fresh” take on the social platforms belonging to two
similar companies. Both Whole Foods Market and The Fresh Market do a wonderful job of marketing the products they sell
and the recipes that can be re-created through purchasing items from their stores. The pictures they post on social platforms
look delicious, which makes the products attractive to consumers. The companies also both work hard to promote the items
they sell as being beneficial to consumers. However, there is one company that is currently more advanced on social
platforms. Based on the enormous number of followers they have gained, the consumer interaction they work to engage in,
the perfect timing of the posts they make, and how successful they are at posting about the company goals and what they
are involved with, Whole Foods Market, proves that they are ahead of The Fresh Market in the way that they have
”organically” developed their social platforms. Whole Foods market works to fulfill a corporate social responsibility beyond its
competitors. This includes creating programs like the Whole Trade Guarantee to make sure the company is operating fairly
and working with other companies that operate fairly or working to better the environment by simply eliminating plastic bags at
their stores. Whole Foods Market has also demonstrated maturity in the way that instead of making themselves the victim in
the face of attacks on their company, Whole Foods goes out of their way to defend themselves, by proving how they are
being honest and holding up the corporate promises they have made. For The Fresh Market to essentially catch up to Whole
Foods on social platforms, the company could use more hashtags within their post, create a greater difference in material
posted among platforms, and use their platforms to talk more about the positive influence the company is having in certain
domains and what they are involved with. The Fresh Market should also work to engage and respond to visitors that post on
their different social platforms. These small initiatives could ultimately lead to a greater number of followers and more
involvement on their platforms. For Whole Foods Market to maintain their lead the main thing they need to do is continue in
the posts they have been making, but grow even stronger in their consumer engagement on social sites.
Who has most “organic” social platforms?