Final Blog Assignment - Noka Chocolate

Online Controversy over Noka Chocolate's Prices

The following is a link to the site with the 10 part article about Noka on DallasFood.org:
http://www.dallasfood.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=78

And this is the link to Noka's response on DallasFood.org:
http://www.dallasfood.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=594

As of yet, Noka still has nothing regarding this controversy posted on their own website:
http://www.nokachocolate.com/newsletter.html

An article that was posted on the DallasFood.org website about a chocolate company in Plano caught my eye. This company, Noka, has been under scrutiny for their outlandish prices. In fact, the chocolates are the highest priced chocolates in the world. (Or second, depending on the way you compare products.) The author of this 10-part article, Scott, explains the extensive research and discoveries he's made in order to answer his number one question: Are Noka's chocolates worth the money? He answers other smaller questions along the way, particularly about the false claims made by the owner and president, Noah Houghton and Katrina Merrem. These claims are centered around whether or not they are actually chocolate makers or chocolatiers. And once it was clear that they are chocolatiers, buying chocolate in bulk in order to craft their chocolates and truffles, Scott furthered his research in order to find out where they were buying their chocolate in order to answer his main question, is it really worth the money? But Noah and Katrina refuse to disclose this information, even thought it is not common for chocolatiers to keep this information secret. So Scott researched the possibilities on his own, with the only information he had, the ingredients of the 4 different types of chocolate that Noka sells. They match only one couverture he could find, Bonnat, which is sold at a much less expensive price. His discoveries have led to even more scrutiny, with many bloggers stating their opinions about Noka. Another interesting aspect of this story is that a PR professional, Daniel Keeney of DPK Public Relations, posted his opinions about the issue on multiple sites. Only his statements were in favor of Noka and without any real information to back up why. People got suspicious, and then pertinent information came to light. Mr. Keeney was hired as Noka's PR representative shortly after the comments were posted. Very shortly. This situation raises many questions about the ethical practice of PR. Or the disheartening lack thereof. If you'd like to look more into this aspect of the controversy, here is the link to the DPK website where Dan is hosting a forum discussing the issues at hand.

http://www.keeneypr.com/en/art/?222

But back to the main topic, how did Noka respond? Unfortunately, this is the perfect example of how not to practice PR. First of all, they ignored the situation for far too long before responding, and when they finally did, they posted a message on DallasFood.org. They didn't post anything on their own news page. And the press release didn't answer the important questions, like where do you get your chocolate, why have you led the press to believe that you make your own chocolate rather than purchasing it from another company, and why did you hire a shady PR professional who wasn't honest from the beginning? The press release is full of vague statements with intermissions filled with self-sponsored ads about how wonderful Noka chocolate is. The tone is actually condescending. I would hope that a company as wonderful as Noka would value their customers enough to not talk down to them as though they can't understand what's going on. And I'm not the only one who had the same impression from this post. Numerous other people commented on the lack of vital information, the unanswered questions, and the self-promoting attitude throughout. And one other major flaw in the entire handling of the situation on Noka's part is that when they are contacted with a question that wasn't answered, (or a reply posted) Noka and their representative, Dan, direct them back to the same press release. The same press release that lacks important information to begin with. I could literally feel the indignation in some of the replies on these blogs. Treating people as though they are too stupid to understand or deserve a legitimate response only kindles the fire. And that's certainly what Noka has done. Multiple blogs with ongoing discussions about the suspicious nature of the company and its representation are only injuring the company name more, so I don't understand why Noka won't just come clean and clear up any misunderstandings.

So, my final thoughts on this are, why did Noka respond at all? It only made the mess messier. And now, they refuse to keep communication with the public open, instead, they are literally ignoring the situation. If Noka wants to be the respected and successful company they claim to be in their useless press release, then they should behave like one. Corporations rely on the public to survive. Why bite the hand that feeds you?

Note: I personally sent Noka an inquiry from their contact page about their company and what chocolate they use and their prices, and honestly presented myself as a UNT student working on a PR class assignment. I still have not received a response. Fishy...