AW: [MM-MALTS-L] [Fwd: Diageo CASE ID 2248914]

[Ron Smith]

Hi Horst

As someone who has been on both ends of the employee/employer 
relationship, I understand (some) of the problems endured by both. With 
my generally socialist principles I have always found it offensive when 
an employer expects 'loyalty' from his/her staff, but dumps the 
immediately when an economic wind turns against them. Small companies 
suffer less from this problem as employers/employees are more likely to 
have a personal relationship so any such decisions are usually not taken 
lightly. The story of Glenfiddich, during a slump rather than dumping on 
its employees, retraining their people which put them in a more powerful 
consolidated position once the slump was over, I always found to be an 
inspiring one.

That multinational corporations, being more distanced from their 
employees, find it easier to make such decisions I find sad but 
inevitable given their size and global reach. But again, what I find 
hypocritical and cynical is the advertising campaigns that paint 
entirely the opposite picture while dumping on those very roots that 
they are currently using to further their already massive profit 
margins. I don't know to what extent the Chinese industries or the 
German car manufacturers are using tradition, culture and community 
values to turn their respective profits, but the whisky industry 
certainly does. To then turn and kick that 'marketing useful' community 
is wrong I believe and I hope Diageo will reconsider and realise that 
poor publicity such as this could have detrimental effects on their 
product and brand identification.

Being a Scot and working in various international communities I think 
people worldwide DO largely recognise Scot=kilts=haggis=whisky and that 
that is a large (although not primary perhaps) association with ANY 
whisky they drink, many of which get called Scotch even if they aren't. 
If it was only a label, there wouldn't be such a push to get the 'Real 
McCoy' or whatever the modern equivalent is (JW in thi scase). To debase 
that tradition is to debase the market that desires the genuine article.

Slainte
Ron

Horst Luening wrote:
> Hello Ron!
> 
> This marketing matter is on discussion for a long time now. Kilts and castle
> ruins are familiar to us but not to the JW drinkers worldwide. 10 yrs ago
> they started to change ads from being Scottish to more global. A tough guy
> had to pass difficult situations all over the world and relaxed afterwards
> with a glass of JW.
> 
> What we are here seeing is the second wave of the globalization. Not only
> foreign products are imported into our countries, but the style of our
> products is changed by our planetwide population.
> 
> Does a Chinese or somebody from Africa has a particular mind about Scotland?
> Does somebody worldwide recognize, that Volkswagen had its rise by the
> 'Kraft durch Freude Wagen' (force thru Joy car) from Adolf Hitler?
> 
> No! If you (or me) find it good or not - our heritage becomes lost in the
> modern world. We, as the maltheads are able to combine history and product.
> But worldwide? No - JW ist just another spirits drink which is competing
> with others.
> 
> We ourselves have made JW such a product. We stopped drinking it and moved
> to other (better) brands. If we are no longer finding customers for JW here,
> we have to find them somewhere else. Even in Asia. And if we are no longer
> able to compete, then our companies have to increase productivity. If the
> worldwide markets grow, as they did in the last decade, then our jobs are
> safe. If the market rumbles ... you see the problem.
> 
> I employ quite a few people but we are still a very small company. If we
> small companies fail, the families of our employees suffer. When huge
> companies reduce their workforce (or fail), the state, the company or
> whoever has to pay for it. I only ask for a little more reflection in front
> of signing a petition.
> 
> Regards,
> Horst
> 
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