Blue BellStrategic Plan

Cameron Atkinson, Hannah Houston, Kailyn Mikulsky, and

Taylor Powell

Overview➢ Blue Bell Ice Cream began in 1907 in Brenham, Texas.

➢ The company adopted the Blue Bell name in 1930 from a native Texas wildflower.

➢ Third largest ice cream maker with 250 products and 45 ice cream flavors.

➢ Their name stretches throughout 23 states.

○ Mainly in the south/southeast

➢ In 2010, they were forced to recall their products due to an outbreak of Listeria.

○ Contaminated products that led to illness and, even death, damaged Blue

Bell’s reputation between the media and publics.1

[1] Blue Bell History (www.bluebell.com: 2007).

Strengths Weaknesses ➢ 64 oz. Containers ➢ Full Refund for Contaminated Ice

Cream➢ No. 2 brand in U.S. based on market

share➢ Product Loyalty ➢ Quality of Product➢ Variety of Flavors

➢ Advertising Not Up-to-Date➢ Infected with Listeria ➢ Lacking Social Media Presence➢ Sells in 23 States➢ Slow Response to Outbreak➢ Website Needs Work

Opportunities Threats➢ Expand the Product to More States ➢ Improve Social Media Platform,

Website, and Advertising➢ Regain Customers and Gain Younger

Customers➢ Rebranding

➢ FDA Regulations➢ Ingredient Cost➢ Listeria Outbreak - Potential Recurrence ➢ Negative Media Attention and Negative Thoughts from

Opinion Leaders➢ Other Competitors: Private Labels, Haagen-Dazs, Breyers,

Ben & Jerry’s, Dreyer’s Edy’s, Turkey Hill, Talenti, and Well’s Blue Bunny.

Vision Plan➢ Our vision is to rebrand Blue Bell Ice Cream to attract more consumers in the

United States.

➢ We want to present a product that is safe and trustworthy to our consumers.

○ Listeria-FREE

➢ Upgrade the company’s social media, website, and other advertising outlets.

➢ We also envision expanding to the rest of the Northeast

○ Wegman’s, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, ShopRite, Hannaford Bros., and

BJ’s Wholesale Club.

Mission Statement

➢ “The Best Ice Cream in the Country”

Situation Analysis➢ Listeria outbreak starting in 2010

○ Led to 10 illnesses and 3 deaths2

➢ In September 2015, Blue Bell recalled its products for the first time in 108 years3

○ Blue Bell tried to minimize recall to certain states, but the FDA forced recall of products in all states.4

➢ The slow response to the situation led to a general distrust among consumers.

[2] Stephen Feller, CDC Releases Final Update on Blue Bell Listeria Outbreak (UPI: June 10, 2015). [3] Press Release (Blue Bell: March 13, 2015). [4] FDA Investigates Listeria Monocytogenes in Ice Cream Products from Blue Bell Creameries (FDA: June 10, 2015).

Public Analysis➢ Customers

○ Expect homestyle ice cream that is high quality, fresh, and safe.➢ Residents

○ Desire cheap, safe, consistent, and easily accessible products➢ Investors

○ Reliable company that produces a return on investment➢ Employees

○ Job security, benefits, adequate training

Public Analysis➢ Key Publics

○ Investors - Aware Public○ CEO/President - Active Public○ Retailers/Restaurants - Active Public○ Affected Customers - Active Public

Goal 1

Goal 1: Increase Safety Standards to Maintain High Quality Ice Cream

➢ Objective 1: To take action to prevent future outbreaks of Listeria; specifically to upgrade all three Blue Bell manufacturing plants by investing $70,000 in each facility for machinery upgrades to be completed within six months starting in September 2016 ($210,000 total).

■ Industrial pasteurization machine: $67,0005

■ Listeria testing kits: $2,800 per year6

○ Tactic: News Media■ Fact Sheet

[5] Model# UHT2T (alibaba.com).[6] Hygiena IL100 Listeria Test Kit (amazon.com).

Goal 1: Increase Safety Standards to Maintain High Quality Ice Cream

➢ Objective 2: To take action to improve facility cleanliness; specifically to implement an employee training program within the first month that is valued at $39,000 regarding maintaining proper cleaning and food-handling methods.

■ Training costs $10/employee7 ■ 3,900 Blue Bell factory employees

○ Tactic: News Media■ News Conference

○ Tactic: Organizational Media■ Memo

[7] About TotalFoodSafety.com (totalfoodsafety.com: 2016).

Goal 1: Increase Safety Standards to Maintain High Quality Ice Cream

➢ Objective 3: To take action to maintain a high food safety rating; specifically to keep the food safety grade above 90 percent in quarterly inspections over the course of the next five years. ○ Tactic: Interpersonal

■ Plant Tour○ Tactic: News Media

■ News Release

Goal 2

Goal 2: Rebrand and Modernize Blue Bell Ice Cream➢ Objective 1: To increase awareness by modernizing the Blue Bell logo;

specifically to update the font to a san serif (Futura), enlarge the cow, and eliminate the silhouette of the girl. This should be completed within six months.

○ Tactic: News Media ■ Social Media Release

Goal 2: Rebrand and Modernize Blue Bell Ice Cream➢ Objective 2: To increase awareness by redesigning the Blue Bell Ice

Cream carton○ Add a transparent cow that makes up half of the front○ Update the font to Futura○ Place the type over the cow’s back, minimizing the size of the words

“ice cream” ○ Write the flavor and size of the carton below

the cow➢ This should be complete within two months after

logo redesign. ➢ Tactic: Advertising and Promotional Media

○ Magazine Ads

Goal 2: Rebrand and Modernize Blue Bell Ice Cream➢ Objective 3: To increase awareness by modernizing Blue Bell’s

advertising○ Create four print ads, six billboard ads , 12 social media ads

➢ This should be completed within a year after rebranding. ➢ Tactic: Advertising and Promotional Media

○ Arena Posters ○ Billboards○ Digital Media Ads

➢ Tactic: Interpersonal ○ Workshop

➢ Tactic: News Media ○ News Release

Goal 3

Goal 3: Improve All Social Media Platforms to Increase Customer Interaction Online

➢ Objective 1: To increase the number of social media posts.○ To post to Facebook and Twitter

daily, equaling at least seven posts per week.

➢ Tactic: Organizational Media○ Social Networking○ Posts on social media will be daily

and tailored to the specific season and/or time of year.

Goal 3: Improve All Social Media Platforms to Increase Customer Interaction Online

➢ Objective 2: To increase the number of social media followers to enhance awareness of Blue Bell.○ Increase Twitter followers from

32,000 - 40,000 and Facebook followers from 240,000 - 300,000 between July 2017 and December 2017.

➢ Tactic: Organizational Media○ Social Networking○ Blue Bell will post more on social

media, specifically Twitter, to get more followers involved with the company.

Goal 3: Improve All Social Media Platforms to Increase Customer Interaction Online

➢ Objective 3: To have an effect on acceptance by improving customer relations via social media.○ To provide open communication

between customers and Blue Bell Corporate by responding to all customers within a 24-hour timeframe.

➢ Tactic: Organizational Media○ Social Networking○ These posts will encourage feedback

from customers, as well as motivating them to interact with Blue Bell.

Goal 4

Goal 4: Expand Blue Bell to Northeast United States ➢ Objective 1: To take action to gauge interest in the product in the

Northeast○ Specifically to sell the product and generate a total profit of $162,900

within three months (June, July, and August) of implementation through one mobile vending cart in the most populous city of five Northeastern states: New York City, Washington DC, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore

➢ Tactic: Organizational Media○ Social Networking○ Use social media to spread awareness of expansion to the northeast.

➢ Tactic: Advertising and Promotional Media○ Out of Home Advertising

■ Use a mobile vending cart to spread awareness of Blue Bell

Location Permit Fee Cost of Storage Profit per Day Cart Cost

NYC $2758 $2509 $100-$1509 $30008

DC $45010 $2509 $1609 $30008

BOS $50011 $2509 $1259 $30008

PITT $34012 $60012 $15012 $30008

BALT $100013 $27514 $1309 $30008

[8] Michael Idov, How Clean Are Those Things? And Where Does the Meat Come From? (New York Magazine: June 2007)[9] Support Staff, The Complete Breakdown of Food Truck Operation Cost (Food Truck Empire: April 2014). [10] Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DC.gov: June 2013).[11] Guide to Food Truck Permitting (cityofboston.gov).[12] Leah Lizarondo, Why Changing The Food Truck Laws in Pittsburgh Will Benefit Us All (Next Pittsburgh: June 2015).[13] Business Permits and Licenses (baltimorecity.com: 2010). [14] Simply Self Storage (craigslist.com: March 2016).

Goal 4: Expand Blue Bell to Northeast United States➢ Objective 2: To increase awareness in the Northeast; specifically to

have Blue Bell Ice Cream carried at the six most popular northeastern supermarket chains within two years of expansion to the Northeast.

➢ Tactic: News Media ○ News Release

■ Create a news release in September 2019 spreading awareness that Blue Bell will be sold in six different Northeastern supermarket chains.

➢ Tactic: Electronic Advertising○ Radio Advertisement

MUSIC: Instrumental Song (Establish, then under)

ANNOUNCER:

MUSIC: (Fade)

Attention all ice cream lovers in Northeast America: Blue Bell is now coming for you!

Blue Bell has expanded to retailers in major cities in the northeast.

You’ve seen our carts around town, now you can stock up on Blue Bell whenever you shop.

You can find us in Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, ShopRite, Hannaford Bros, and BJ’s Wholesale Club.

For more information find us on Facebook, Twitter, or visit www.bluebell.com

Blue Bell Ice Cream: Different Look, Same Tradition.

Title: Blue Bell is Expanding Client/Sponsors: Blue BellLength: 30 seconds Air Dates: September 6-15, 2019

Goal 4: Expand Blue Bell to Northeast United States➢ Objective 3: To take action to open a new factory branch in the Northeast;

specifically to open a factory in Pittsburgh upon reaching a 20 percent revenue increase in that region (or within five years of expansion).

➢ Tactic: Interpersonal○ Groundbreaking Ceremony

■ Host a ceremony celebrating the start of the new factory being built in March 2020

➢ Tactic: Interpersonal○ Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

■ Host a ceremony celebrating the opening of the new factory in September 2022

➢ Tactic: Organizational Media○ Invitation

■ Create invitations to invite people to attend these events

Proactive Strategies

Strategy 1: Action➢ Special Event: Implement three Blue Bell Ice Cream festivals within the three

states that contain Blue Bell factories. ○ Involve factory employees and community members from Broken Arrow,

Okla., Brenham, Texas, and Sylacuaga, Ala. ○ First looks at rebranding○ Factory tours○ Reward communities and employees that have remained loyal○ Attract new customers and news media

Strategy 2: Action➢ Sponsorship: Sponsor the “National Anthem” performances at five Northeastern

Major League Baseball games○ New York Yankees vs. New York Mets○ Washington Nationals○ Pittsburgh Pirates○ Boston Red Sox○ Baltimore Orioles

Strategy 3: Action➢ Strategic Philanthropy: Donate to a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital15 in each

of the states where Blue Bell is sold, as well as the six states where Blue Bell is testing expansion○ Donate $10,000 per hospital per year○ Total: $270,000 per year

[15] Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org: 2016).

State Location State Location

Alabama Children's Healthcare of Alabama Mississippi Batson Children's Hospital

Arizona Phoenix Children's Hospital Missouri Missouri University Children's Hospital

Arkansas Arkansas Children's Hospital Nevada Renown Children's Hospital

Colorado Children's Hospital Colorado New Mexico University of New Mexico Children's Hospital

Florida All Children's Hospital New York Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center

Georgia Children's Healthcare of Atlanta North Carolina Maynard Children's Hospital

Illinois Children's Hospital of Chicago Ohio Akron Children's Hospital

Indiana Riley Hospital for Children Oklahoma Children's Hospital Foundation

Kansas Kansas University Medical Center Pennsylvania Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Kentucky Kentucky Children's Hospital South Carolina Levine Children's Hospital

Louisiana Children's Hospital - New Orleans Tennessee East Tennessee Children's Hospital

Maryland Johns Hopkins Children's Center Texas Children's Medical Center

Massachusetts Boston Children's Hospital Washington DC Children's National Health System

Strategy 4: Communication➢ Transparent Communication: Participate in transparent communication to

provide customers, employees, and other members of the public with the guarantee that their ice cream is a safe and high-quality product.

Reactive Strategies

Strategy 1: Vocal Commiseration➢ Apology: Formally apologize to Blue Bell’s entire public in the form of a news

conference to provide an explanation as to what happened and how it will be resolved.

Strategy 2: Rectifying Behavior➢ Corrective Action: Take corrective action to prevent any future outbreaks of

Listeria or any other foodborne illness.

Strategy 3: Rectifying Behavior➢ Repentance: Exhibit corporate repentance by formally celebrating Blue Bell’s

rebranding and reintroduction to the market, which will showcase Blue Bell’s commitment to superiority, safety, and quality.

Timeline

Budget

June 2016-June 2018

Advertising and Promotional: Out-of-Home Advertisements Unit Cost Space Cost (if different from unit) Quantity Total

Yankee Stadium Arena Poster (NY) $900 $50,000 1 $50,900

Oriole Park at Camden Yards Arena Poster (MD) $900 $50,000 1 $50,900

PNC Park Arena Poster (PA) $900 $50,000 1 $50,900

Fenway Park Arena Poster (MA) $900 $50,000 1 $50,900

Nationals Park Arena Poster (DC) $900 $50,000 1 $50,900

New York City Billboard $480.40 $14,900 6 $92,282.40

Baltimore Billboard $480.40 $5,475 3 $16,905.40

Washington DC Billboard $480.40 $15,000 3 $45,480.40

Pittsburgh Billboard $480.40 $13,000 3 $39,480.40

Boston Billboard $480.40 $8,900 3 $27,180.40

New York City Cart Signage $39.99 $0 1 $39.99

Baltimore Cart Signage $39.99 $0 1 $39.99

Washington DC Cart Signage $39.99 $0 1 $39.99

Pittsburgh Cart Signage $39.99 $0 1 $39.99

Boston Cart Signage $39.99 $0 1 $39.99

Advertising and Promotional: Print Advertisements Unit Cost Space Cost (if different from unit) Quantity Total

Southern Living Magazine Advertisement $0 $13,526 12 $162,312

Reader's Digest Magazine Advertisement $0 $10,690 12 $128,280

Newsweek Magazine Advertisement $0 $20,000 12 $240,000

Advertising and Promotional: Digital Advertisements

Digital Media Advertisement $0 $0 12 $0

Advertising and Promotional: Electronic

Radio Commercial $1,405 $0 10 $14,050

News Media: Print

Fact Sheet $0.10 $0 28,000 $2,891

Plant Tour News Release $0 $0 1 $0

Workshop News Release $0 $0 1 $0

Supermarkets News Release $0 $0 1 $0

News Media: Digital Media

Social Media Release $0 $0 1 $0

News Media: Events Unit Cost Space Cost (if different from unit) Quantity Total

News Conference $0 $0 1 $0

Organizational Media: Print

Memo $0 $0 1 $0

Ground Breaking Invitation $0.26 $0 3000 $780.00

Ribbion Cutting Invitation $0.26 $0 3000 $780.00

Organizational Media: Social Networking

Social Media Posts - HootSuite $18,000 0 2 $36,000

Social Media Followers - Boost Post $5 $0 14,310 $71,553.33

Social Media Customer Relations $0 $0 unlimited 0

Social Media Advertising Carts $0 $0 unlimited 0

Email $1,750 $0 1 $1,750

Interpersonal: Events

Plant Tour $2.85 $0 $13,234 $32,381.50

Workshop $20 $0 $13,234 $264,680

Ground Breaking $2.85 $0 $13,234 $32,281.50

Ribbion Cutting $2.85 $0 $13,234 $32,281.50

Grand Total: $1,496,050.00

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