Public Relations Case Study Blue Bell s Listeria Outbreak

Public Relations Case Study: Blue Bell’s Listeria Outbreak Blue Bell, America’s third largest ice cream company, was founded in Brenham, TX in 1907. Originally a butter manufacturer, Blue Bell decided to end the days of selling butter after increased sales of ice cream proved where the consumer demand existed – in ice cream. (Hem, 2006) After years of providing successful service and products to the consumer, tragedy struck. The Issue On a Monday morning, Blue Bell’s team made the decision to alert retailers to stop all sales of ice cream products due to a possible listeria contamination. (Abrams Tabuchi, 2015) Grocery stores throughout the South began clearing their frozen shelves and consumers became confused. It wasn’t until days†¦show more content†¦With each new location found to be contaminated came additional product lines that were found to contain listeria. After further investigations were conducted, the possibility that this was an issue caused by neglect became greater, and the trust from consumers became smaller. Since the initial determination of the severity of contamination, Blue Bell used the internet to express their apologies and assure the public they were working on a plan to correct this issue and gain their trust once again. Blue Bell utilized modern technology to speak to their customers personally, posting a video in which they stated they were â€Å"heartbroken ov er the situation† and they promised to â€Å"get it right† for their loyal customers. (New York Times, 2015) Publics Affected by the Outbreak Multiple publics were affected by this recall and the events that followed. The media received initial backlash due to the lack of consistent information being provided to the public. Not only were different reports being released, customers were also being given new information constantly, creating a sense of dishonesty among their audience. Not only did consumers feel let down and lied to during this massive recall, Blue Bell’s own employees were negatively impacted by the listeria outbreak. In May, Blue Bell 4 Blue Bell’s Listeria Outbreak reported that 37 percent of their workforce, 1,450 employees, had to be laid off due to the halt in production and profits. (Reagan, 2015) Many ofShow MoreRelatedAn Evaluation of an on-Farm Food Safety Program for Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Producers; a Global Blueprint for Fruit and Vegetable Producers51659 Words   |  207 PagesAn evaluation of an on-farm food safety program for Ontario greenh ouse vegetable producers; a global blueprint for fruit and vegetable producers A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Graduate Studies Of The University of Guelph by Benjamin J. Chapman In partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science February, 2005 ( Benjamin Chapman, 2005 Abstract An evaluation of an on-farm food safety program for Ontario greenhouse vegetable producers; a globalRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pagesinvolving marketing (especially MBA candidates and senior undergraduates following business studies programmes) âž ¡ Students of The Chartered Institute of Marketing who are preparing for the Marketing Planning paper in the CIM’s Diploma examinations âž ¡ Marketing practitioners who will benefit from a comprehensive review of current thinking in the field of strategic marketing planning, implementation and control. Richard M S Wilson Colin Gilligan Overview of the book’s structure 1 Introduction Stage One