Blue Bell Famine: A Case Study

Here’s to the Next 108 Years

The nationwide “Blue Bell famine” of 2015 was seen as an epic let down from a trustworthy company. Not only were consumers completely outraged when they heard news of a Listeria outbreak, but their mental image of this company seemed to become tarnished from the nature of the matter. For Southerners that may have grown up with this brand, they were devastated. Likewise, consumers from the North where Blue Bell is not typically sold had no attachment to the brand and viewed the scandal as a lack of quality standards.

Blue Bell is sold in 19 different states across the nation, predominantly in the South. Blue Bell currently has three manufacturing facilities in Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama. (BlueBell) The original Listeria outbreak started at the manufacturing plant in Kansas, which led to the nationwide shut down of Blue Bell production. This was the first time in the company’s 108 years of production that they had to recall their products. (BlueBell) This recall cost Blue Bell $200 million dollars in damage and more than 8 million gallons of ice

cream were disposed of. Not only did this scandal hurt Blue Bell financially, but it also caused the loss of 2,800 jobs. (FDA) With this massive loss in sales, many were concerned with the financial health of Blue Bell, and it’s future as a national ice cream brand.
Moving forward, Blue Bell has already started up production again and is selling to select areas in Texas. Their response from Southern consumers has been overwhelmingly positive. (FDA) The target audience that Blue Bell should be trying to reach post-scandal would be men and women ages 18-35. (MRI+) This is the ideal target market because not only are these consumers buying Blue Bell, but also they are talking about it online for the public to see. This is crucial to the consumer image of Blue Bell post-scandal, and will help them bounce back from this unfortunate event. (MRI+)
Although many would assume that consumers would have a negative image of Blue Bell after this event, the data shows otherwise.

After conducting a Google survey with over 55 responses, the majority of consumers said that they were disappointed that the outbreak happened to Blue Bell, and that they can’t wait for the products to return to the shelves. However, many of the consumers that took the survey were from states that did not sell Blue Bell, therefore the consumer had never tried the product. These consumers were skeptical of the brand and the product and were not sure that they would ever buy the product if given a chance. The reason behind this outcome would be because the consumers from the South have a connection to this Texas-bred brand. The Southern consumers are sympathetic to this scandal because they have grown up with Blue Bell and have a nostalgic reaction to purchasing

it.
The survey data is accompanied by firsthand research conducted at the re-stocking of Blue Bell to the North Texas area. The cartons were released at approximately 4 a.m., and had eleven people waiting on the product to be restocked. This data reaffirms the fact that not only are Southern consumers eager to get Blue Bell back in their freezers, but that they are supportive of the brand and want Blue Bell to recover quickly.
Along with the survey and firsthand research, an interview with a UNT student that grew up in Brenham, Texas had firsthand experience with the Blue Bell recall. The man interviewed stated that older men in the community were the ones that were mostly affected by the recall. Many people lost their jobs and had to go months without a paycheck. He also mentioned the fact that the town of Brenham had very low morale when the recall was first released, because the majority of the citizens of Brenham work at the local Blue Bell factory. Although this recall was sudden and very damaging, he stated that the people of Brenham are still loyal to Blue Bell, and that this recall has brought the community closer together.
More consumer insight was gained by evaluating all of Blue Bell’s social media. Overall, their social media activity was lacking and was not relevant to the consumer. Their twitter page has 31.1K followers, and their Twitter handle is @ILoveBlueBell. Not only does Blue Bell need to change their Twitter handle to a phrase that is easier to find, but they also need to be interacting more with the consumers. If they were to converse more with the target market, they would start seeing a jump in the activity on their page. The same goes for Blue Bell’s Instagram and Facebook pages. They need to focus on getting more consumers to follow their page, and to also keep up with their posts. With Blue Bell reintroducing themselves to the consumers, they need to hire a social media manager to make sure the correct image is being portrayed to the consumer.
Furthermore, Blue Bell’s website is very outdated and is not user friendly. It is extremely hard to navigate, has virtually no useful information for the consumer, and does not address the problem of the Listeria outbreak. The design is very confusing and makes the company look unpolished and disorganized. Adding new features and creating a sleek design will attract the target audience to the website.
Blue Bell needs to be completely transparent with the consumer to earn back the trust of the consumer. The only way for this to happen is to have positive social media that is seen by the target audience. The future of Blue Bell relies on the upcoming campaign post-scandal. The media is waiting to see what they will do next, and how they will handle the situation. The campaign needs to not only be transparent with the consumer, but it also needs to make the consumer feel nostalgic. Blue Bell needs to remind their consumers why they are a family run, trustworthy brand. The only way to get this message across is through thoughtful advertising.
Creative Brief:
Blue Bell Creameries
“Here’s to the Next 108 Years” / New campaign for Blue Bell Ice Cream
Background:
The most important idea that this campaign needs to get across to the consumer is the idea that although Blue Bell had a scandal, they are still the family owned, trustworthy company that they have been for the past 108 years. After collecting data, it is apparent that consumers in the South are still very loyal to Blue Bell and are anxious for it to be returned. However, the ad needs to remind customers that Blue Bell has been a reliable brand for decades.
Objective:
The commercial should give the consumer an “at home” feel, so that they can relate to the story line. It also needs to make the consumer feel nostalgic, and remind them of times in their lives when Blue Bell was there for them. (EX: birthdays, holiday parties, etc.)
Target Audience:
The target audience is adults ages 18-35, predominantly in the South. The reason why this target was chosen was because the majority of people in this age range participate in social media. The goal is to get more people talking positively about Blue Bell on social media.
SWOT:
Strengths: Product is well liked by consumers and historically has a spotless reputation.
Weaknesses: Recent scandal has hurt the consumers’ image of Blue Bell.
Opportunities: Create social media platforms that excite consumers and give the company a sleek new design.
Threats: Competitors can use this scandal as a selling point for their products.
The idea behind the “Here’s to the Next 108 Years” campaign comes from a place of reminiscence. The consumer needs to be reminded of the fact that Blue Bell is not only a well-known brand, but also an iconic symbol of family values and tradition. This message will be portrayed to the consumer through beautiful cinematography, and transparent advertising.
The artistic aspect of the commercial will focus on shots of Brenham, Texas where Blue Bell started, and also the actual factory. The tone for this commercial needs to feel organic and trustworthy. This is crucial for the spot because the consumers need to connect with the message Blue Bell is trying to portray. Video shots of the town and also surrounding wildlife will give the natural feel that the client is looking for. Along with personal interviews, the spot needs to include flashes of Blue Bell’s humble beginning. Many consumers do not know the history of Blue Bell, and sharing this information with the public further proves to the consumer that Blue Bell is a trustworthy company.
This story line needs to show actual residents of Brenham, and clips of interviews with residents talking about how Blue Bell has impacted their life. The interviews are very important to the success of the campaign, because Blue Bell doesn’t want consumers to think of their company as a large corporate run company that only cares about profit. We need to show the consumers that Blue Bell cares not only about their employees, but also the well being of their consumers nationwide.
This campaign should also seep into Blue Bell’s social media accounts. The advertisement needs to list Blue Bell’s new website at the end of the commercial. On the website, there will be full interviews that consumers can watch, and also information about how Blue Bell is taking precautions so that they can provide consumers with a safe product.
One of the most important aspects of this campaign is social media interaction. The Blue Bell Instagram account will have a hastag “#WhyBlueBell” for consumers to post pictures of them and their Blue Bell ice cream or pictures of consumers at Blue Bell re-stocking events across the nation. With more social interaction between consumers and the company, it will help consumers trust Blue Bell again. As stated earlier, this campaign is crucial to the future of Blue Bell. Blue Bell is depending on this campaign to not only earn back the trust of consumers nationwide, but to also show Americans that they have pride in their product, and love for the Blue Bell community.
Although this scandal was very unfortunate for Blue Bell, they have handled the situation with grace and took the necessary precautions to make their products safe again. This speaks volumes of the company’s integrity, and shows the consumer that Blue Bell is not focused on making profits, but mainly focused on the well being of their customers. Because they handled the event in such a manner, their company should make a full recovery in this upcoming year.
With the right message spread to consumers, updated social media accounts and website, and the trustworthy character of the Blue Bell corporation, consumers will see why Blue Bell has continued to make consumers happy for decades. The beauty of this campaign is that not only is Blue Bell remembering their humble past, but they are looking forward to a successful future. Here’s to Blue Bell, and here’s to the next 108 years.