Swiss chocolate producer Nestlé got some unwanted bad press when a school went public about the cool response some of its children received recently when they asked the company for help with a project.
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Seven Grade 4 children at the Ecole Sun Valley Elementary School in Winnipeg, Canada, wrote to Nestlé requesting information as part of a project. They asked questions such as: “How do you make chocolate ice cream? Can you manufacture chocolate hockey sticks and pucks? Can you produce a T-shirt made out of Coffee Crisp?”
Nestlé responded to the query by sending back their letter accompanied by a stiff legal missive. “We have been advised by our legal department to return your letter,” the company wrote, adding that it does not accept unsolicited ideas or suggestions. The reasoning was that retaining letters containing ideas for new products could lead to future patent disputes. “The reason that most food companies follow this practice is that the same ideas may occur to more than one person. Indeed, the very idea you wish to submit might now be in the process of development within our company, or by one of our associated agencies,” the letter went on to say.
The principles are doubtless sound, but given that the letter in question was sent by nine-year-old children, its tone seems wholly inappropriate, particularly when compared with the responses from rival chocolate manufacturers. Some sent chocolate and child-focused information packs explaining how chocolate is made.
The children involved say they are going to boycott Nestlé products. While this is hardly likely to dent sales for the Swiss giant, the incident represents, at best, a wasted PR opportunity.
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