Dear Vibram,
I am writing to you to offer my sincerest thanks for proving to be the kind of company that not only listens to its customers and vendors, but for being the kind of company that promptly acts on their overtures.
With
your announcement of an expanded line of Treks for those of us with smaller feet comes a tangible illustration of the kind of company that Vibram truly is. All companies claim to listen to their customers and to have their customers' best interests at heart, but few can live up to that claim. In less than two months from the day that I introduced
our petition, the same day that
Georgia Shaw's interview with Living Barefoot aired, we've witnessed a complete turnaround on your decision to produce a women's line of Trek. The fact that we went from
no guarantee of a Women's Trek two months ago, to having a full line of Women's Trek within six months of your announcement is nothing short of remarkable and I applaud your company's ability to make a major decision like this in such a short time span.
Not only that, but you went above and beyond our calls by expanding the men's line of Trek's too. That shows that you not only took your customers seriously, but that you gave our interests top priority and that is something not soon to be forgotten. It's understandable how in today's global marketplace it can be difficult to stay in touch with the wants and needs of your individual customers, and that the temptation is great to rely on market algorithms to predict what those wants and needs might be, but you've managed to display that innovative and adaptive thinking can pick up where conventional means leaves off. It is that trait that will make Vibram sustainable in the long run.
I hope that the huge outpouring of support, as evidenced by
an astounding amount of positive feedback on your Facebook fan page in response to your decision, is further proof that an alternative approach toward marketing and development is something that your customers value highly. We recognize that with this inclusive decision you've enabled an even wider array of customers to diversify and expand upon our application of FiveFingers to include an even wider array of activities. You've successfully connected with your customers and proven what a forward thinking and innovative company can do.
We thank you.
Sincerely,
Tim Donahey, et al
