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Running Head: ICE CREAM CRISIS 1

Ice Cream Crisis: Blue Bell Creameries

Joanna D. Dillman

Queens University of Charlotte

ICE CREAM CRISIS: BLUE BELL CREAMERIES 2

Ice Cream Crisis: Blue Bell Creameries

You scream. I scream. We all scream for ice cream. Unfortunately, that was not the case

for Blue Bell Creameries who faced its first product recall in over 108 years of production in

February 2015 after the discovery of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in finished Blue Bell

ice cream products. The situation escalated when the FDA reported three deaths were associated

with contaminated Blue Bell products. This product crisis event led to full production shut-down

at all Blue Bell facilities, a recall of all its products from 23 states, and employee layoffs after

lingering production delays. With Blue Bell’s long-running history and loyal customer base, it

was imperative to the company’s survival to restore the company’s wholesome image by

responding immediately and appropriately to the product crisis event. This paper will examine

the communications of Blue Bell’s president and CEO, Paul Kruse, including press releases,

video announcements, and customer correspondence via social media, in response to the crisis

event. Specifically, the communications will span from the initial crisis event to post-crisis

leadership and this paper will analyze the image restoration and discourse of renewal strategies

utilized.

Hackman and Johnson (2013) states, “We live in an age of crisis” (p. 410). Acting as

crisis managers, leaders must “be alert to dangers, prepare theirs groups and organizations for

trouble, and respond quickly and effectively when a crisis breaks out” (Hackman and Johnson,

2013, p. 410). The International Association of Business Communicators (1995) reminds leaders

to be aware that “statements and actions taken during the early stages of the crisis come back to

haunt the organization years later” (p. 250). Therefore, communication strategies utilized during

a crisis is imperative in order to be a successful leader.


It is estimated that 48 million Americans get sick as the result of foodborne pathogens,

such as listeria, E.coli, and salmonella, each year. Associate professor at Ohio State University,

Robert Scharf, “estimates the annual cost of medical treatment, lost productivity and food

illness-related mortality to be $93 billion” (Pollack, 2016, p. 1). As evident by Food and Drug

Administration reports, food recalls are on the rise. The reason is partly due to a recent overhaul

of the United States’ food safety practices which requires more frequent inspections at food

facilities. The recent 2015 Blue Bell listeria break out was highly publicized as the recalls

occurred just prior to the peak summer selling season and hit close to home to many of those in

the South in which Blue Bell is a beloved brand. As evident by Blue Bell’s social media pages,

the company retained a wildly loyal customer base throughout the crisis. Therefore, I selected to

utilize Blue Bell’s product crisis as my case study analysis to study the communication strategies

utilized by Blue Bell’s leader, Paul Kruse.

Method

Data

For this analysis, five company press releases and public announcement memorandums

were collected from Blue Bell Creameries’ website. In addition, six announcements, postings,

and videos were collected from the Company’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Official responses

from Blue Bell were collected from these communications. News articles were used in this

analysis to demonstrate what the general public knew about the crisis. The communications date

range begins on March 13, 2015 to August 17, 2015. General information about Blue Bell

Creameries was obtained from the company website.


Approach

The collected communications were used to conduct a case study analysis to construct the

crisis and post-crisis description of the events surrounding the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak.

Quotations and other information employed in this study were used to analyze Blue Creameries

and Paul Kruse’s responses to the product crisis event. The strategies depicted in Benoit’s theory

of image repair discourse as well as Ulmer, Sellnow, and Seeger’s discourse of renewal theory

were utilized to analyze the success and failures of the responses to restore the company’s image

and provide healing through renewal.

Blue Bell Crisis Stages

Pre-crisis

Blue Bell Creameries has been run by the Kruse family since 1919. Current president

and CEO, Paul Kruse, was groomed by his father and uncle to take over Blue Bell Creameries

after his father’s retirement. That’s not to say he hasn’t earned his place within the company.

Like his father before him, Kruse began working in the creamery at a young age. As recounted

in a 2004 column for Baylor Business Review, “at age 8, he had to go door to door asking

neighbors for old newspapers to help fulfill the packing requirements for a military contract with

Fort Hood” (Collette, 2015, p. 4). Graduating with a BBA in accounting from Texas A&M

University, Kruse went on to be a graduate of Baylor University School of Law. He engaged in

private law practice for a number of years prior to joining Blue Bell. In fact, Kruse’s initial

career plans did not include joining the family business. However, after multiple requests of his

father, Kruse joined the Company as its General Counsel and Secretary in 1986. “He was named

Vice President in 1991 and in 2004 assumed the duties of Chief Executive Officer and President”

(Neeley School of Business, 2011).


When Kruse’s grandfather, E. F. Kruse, took over the business 96 years ago, Listeria was

unknown to science. The small creamery “churned out a few gallons of ice cream a day in

wooden tubs, blissfully unaware of the microscopic, pill-shaped bacteria” (Collette, 2015, p. 3).

As time passed, Blue Bell Creameries was managed by Kruse’s father and uncle and the duo

expanded the company as the original plant automated. In 1986, “Listeria had only recently been

confirmed as a foodborne pathogen” (Collette, 2015, p. 4). At that time, it was thought listeria

was something contracted from raw food. No one thought “about listeria in a frozen product

made with pasteurized milk” (Collette, 2015, p. 4). Of course, we now know listeria is a

pathogen that can be found almost everywhere, including in soil, water and food. Unlike other

bacteria, it has evolved so that it thrives in cold, moist areas like refrigerators and ice cream

factories.

Although Blue Bell Creameries started small, the company accrued an extremely loyal

customer base and grew at a steady pace throughout the south with production expanding to four

factories and annual sales, according to Euromonitor International, growing to some $880

million (Elkind, 2015, p. 3). Blue Bell’s website indicates, “Our top priority and commitment is

to produce high quality, safe, delicious ice cream for our customers" (Blue Bell Creameries, n.d.,

sec. 8). The Company’s resolve was put to the test when on February 12, 2015 the South

Carolina Department of Health & Environment Control found “Listeria monocytogenes in

samples of some Blue Bell ice cream products during a routine product sampling at a South

Carolina distribution center” (Heneghan, 2015, p. 1).

Crisis

Hackman and Johnson (2013) indicates during the crisis event stage, “a ‘trigger event’

initiates the crisis and ends when the crisis is resolved” (p. 414). For Blue Bell the “trigger


event” occurred on February 13, 2015. It was at this time, Blue Bell executives first learned

about the listeria finding in South Carolina. Three days later the company began retrieving ten

different products made on the same factory line. Since neither the FDA nor state regulators

insisted on disclosure, Blue Bell did not issue a public announcement that it had sold a tainted

product. The justification for this was “that the only two products then known to contain listeria

were single-serving items” that tend to only be sold to a limited number of places and could be

easily retrieved (Elkind, 2015, p. 3).

On March 9, 2015, Blue Bell learned “that the listeria strains in South Carolina had been

linked to the deaths in Wichita” (Elkind, 2015, p. 3). The Brenham production line identified as

producing the tainted ice cream was stopped the next day. The machine was later shut down

permanently.

Hackman and Johnson (2013) explains a company’s “focus shifts to damage control” and

containing the problem during a crisis event (p. 414). This is evident when the company made

its first public address since being notified of product contamination on its web page on March

13, 2015. Blue Bell announced a product recall, “the first time in 108 years” (Blue Bell, 2015h,

para. 1). The announcement further explained “a limited amount of frozen snacks” were

produced with a possible listeria problem (Blue Bell, 2015h, para. 2). Blue Bell states that once

the problem was detected, “all products produced by this machine were withdrawn” and

recovered from stores and storage (Blue Bell, 2015h). Finally, the statement indicated, “This

withdrawal in no way includes our half gallons, quarts, pints, cups, three gallon ice cream or the

majority of take-home snack novelties” (Blue Bell, 2015h, para. 3).

The situation escalated further, when on March 22, 2015, the Kansas Department of

Health and Environment advised Blue Bell additional cases of listeria at the Wichita Hospital.


These cases were identified to have been produced in Oklahoma, thus extending the problem to a

second plant. Blue Bell responded by posting a notice on their website that the recall was being

expanded to include more products. Blue Bells communication indicated they were “working

closely” with officials “in order to resolve this issue” (Blue Bell, 2015d, para. 2). However, they

continued to emphasize the problem was limited to “select stores and food service accounts”

(Blue Bell, 2015d, para. 5).

Upon the FDA reporting “that there were three deaths to date associated with the recalled

products,” Paul Kruse began taking an active role in communications (Blue Bell, 2015d, para. 7).

As Hackman and Johnson (2013) explains, “one person should take primary responsibility to

speak on behalf of the entire organization in order to eliminate conflicting messages and to

prevent the spread of misinformation” (p. 424). Kruse released the statement, “We are

devastated and know Blue Bell has to be and can be better than this. Quality and safety have

always been our top priorities. We are deeply saddened and concerned for all those who have

been affected” (Blue Bell, 2015d, para. 8). In this statement, you see Kruse’s leadership style

begin to emerge. He is taking responsibility for the incident and indicating corrective action will

be taken.

On March 27, 2015, Kruse issued a public apology to consumers. In his letter, he stated

he wanted “to personally apologize for any anxiety or inconvenience caused by recent recalls of

certain Blue Bell products” (Kruse, 2015a, para. 1). He pointed out he realized that the event

created “concern” for consumers, “who for more than a century, have come to trust us to provide

quality ice cream products” (Kruse, 2015a, para. 6). Further, Kruse explained the company was

completing an internal investigation and “ceased production on the lines where the recalled

product was made” (Kruse, 2015a, para. 2). For the second time, Kruse indicates, “Everyone at


Blue Bell regrets this incident” and “are deeply saddened and concerned for all who have been

affected (Kruse, 2015a, para. 4). He reassures customers that the company is “working tirelessly

to make sure that we provide a safe product” (Kruse, 2015a, para. 4). Finally, Kruse thanks

consumers and retail customers “served for generations for their patience, understanding, and

loyalty during this difficult period. Nothing is more important to us than maintaining your trust.

All of us at Blue Bell hope you will give use the opportunity to continue to serve you” (Kruse,

2015a, para. 5-6).

By April 3rd FDA investigators discovered over the course of their examination of Blue

Bell that surfaces at the company's facilities had been testing positive for listeria dating back to

January 2010 (Elkind, 2015, p. 4). However, Blue Bell nor officials had tested ice cream

products for the bacteria. Indicating “out of abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing

everything possible to provide our consumers with safe products and to preserve the trust we

have built,” Blue Bell “voluntarily” suspended all operations at the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

manufacturing plant (Blue Bell, 2015j, para. 2). The suspension would allow a “team of experts”

to “conduct a careful and complete examination to determine the exact cause of the

contamination” (Blue Bell, 2015j, para. 3).

When on April 6th the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended

consumers “not eat products” produced at the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma facility, Blue Bell

announced they were “voluntarily withdrawing” products made there (Blue Bell, 2015c, para. 2-

3). The company insisted that “these products HAVE NOT BEEN RECALLED” (Blue Bell,

2015c, para. 6). However, a day later when the FDA notified executives listeria had been found

in another flavor, Blue Bell then announced a “recall” of seven more flavors already apart of its

“withdrawal” (Blue Bell, 2015c, para. 8).


The crisis came to a pivotal point when, on April 20th, further testing revealed positive

results for listeria at another Blue Bell plant. Blue Bell CEO and president issued a statement via

a press release and video on its website and social media accounts. Kruse apologized to “loyal

Blue Bell fans and customers,” saying the company was “heartbroken,” but “committed to doing

the 100 percent right thing” (Kruse, 2015b, para. 1 &7). Although Blue Bell had “initially

believed this situation was isolated to one machine in one room,” Kruse explained, “we now

know that was wrong” (Kruse, 2015b, para. 2). In order for the company “to be completely

confident” the ice cream products “are safe for our customers,” he indicated “we have brought in

one of the world’s most respected food safety microbiologists to inspect our plants and systems

to help us get to the bottom of this issue” (Kruse, 2015b, para. 1).

Kruse provided plans for moving forward by indicating the implementation of a

procedure called “test and hold” for all products manufactured (Kruse, 2015b, para. 3). The

procedure would require testing of all products and those products held until a safe result was

reported. Also, Blue Bell implemented “additional safety procedures and testing” (Blue Bell,

2015g, para. 2). Kruse explained these newly implemented changes would allow Blue Bell “to

fix the problem” and return the “ice cream to be a source of joy and pleasure, never a cause for

concern” (Blue Bell, 2015g, para. 2).

Although Blue Bell had suspended all operations, it’s social media pages depicted

support from its loyal consumers. Blue Bell’s Facebook page started filling with comments

expressing sentiments like, “Still the best ice cream in the country and well worth however long

we have to wait” (McLain, 2015, comment 1). Blue Bell responded to several comments

expressing their appreciation and “we’re working hard to be back soon” (Blue Bell Ice Cream,

2015a, reply 1). Advertisements of support were placed in the Houston Chronicle and later


posted on the Blue Bell Facebook fan page stating, “God Bless Blue Bell” (Blue Bell Ice Cream,

2015b, timeline post). To which Blue Bell responded, “Your support means a lot to us” (Blue

Bell Ice Cream, 2015b, timeline post). On April 27th, a press release was issued in which Kruse

vowed “a fresh start and that begins with an intensive cleaning and enhanced training” (Blue

Bell, 2015a, para. 4).

By removing the immediate threat of further consumers getting ill from Blue Bell

products, the company was hopeful to begin the process of identifying and fixing the problem

and to return to the market quickly in time for the peak selling summer season. Unfortunately,

Blue Bell’s initial estimates that the cleaning process would take a few weeks were vastly

optimistic. On May 7th, the Food and Drug Administration released inspection reports

identifying numerous problems at all three Blue Bell facilities. Kruse responded by providing a

press release detailing the status of each manufacturing plant and the steps being taken to

respond to FDA inspection findings. When addressing a timeline for return, Kruse indicated,

“we do not yet have a firm timeline” for returning to stores, but “we believe at this time that it

will be several months at a minimum” (Blue Bell, 2015f, para. 9). He explained production and

distribution would only begin when “we can do so with confidence” and that Blue Bell is

creating “the cleanest, safest environment possible to produce the high-quality, great-tasting ice

cream that people expect from Blue Bell” (Blue Bell, 2015f, para. 9).

In light of the extended timeline to return to market, Kruse was forced to review not only

company operations, but personnel needed while manufacturing was suspended. In a press

release and video entitled “An Agonizing Decision,” on May 15, 2015, Kruse announced the

need to “lay off hundreds of our great workers and reduce hours and pay for others” (Blue Bell,

b, para. 2). Kruse explained, the decision was “the most difficult” decision he has had to make


because “employees are part of our family, and we did everything we could to keep people on

our payroll as long as possible” (Blue Bell, 2015b, para. 2). However, he indicated the decision

was necessary because supply and distribution would be limited for some time and “we have an

obligation to do what is necessary to bring Blue Bell back and ensure its viability in the future”

(Blue Bell, 2015b, para. 2).

The action resulted in the furlough of 1,400 employees and approximately 37% of the

total Blue Bell workforce being laid off. Although Kruse indicated Blue Bell would work with

the affected laid-off employees in “whatever manner we could assist,” the company faced

criticism regarding the decision (Blue Bell, 2015b, para. 8). As the press release and video was

also posted on the company’s Facebook page, comments depicted the criticism as well as the

continued support. Negative comments expressed that the company’s greed and unsanitary

conditions caused the layoffs. While, on the other hand, there were many posts indicating sorrow

for the company and provided examples of the company’s previous charitable actions which

served as reasons why the community and consumers should continue to support Blue Bell. Blue

Bell’s Twitter nor Facebook page shows a company response to follower’s comments.

The company provided brief social media posts throughout the Summer of 2015 to

provide consumers with updates of Blue Bell’s progress to return to market. In addition, on July

14, 2015, the company announced a partnership with billionaire Sid Bass in order to avoid a

capital crisis (Elkind, 2015, p. 5). However, on August 17, 2015, the company posted via a press

release and video on its web page and social media sites, the long awaited announcement Blue

Bell would be returning to stores on August 31, 2015. Ricky Dickson, Blue Bell’s vice president

of sales and marketing, made the announcement that Blue Bell is “back doing what we love …

making ice cream” (Blue Bell, 2015i, para. 3). As Kruse had previously warned, the company


would return with a limited production capacity. Therefore, the announcement explained a five

phase plan in which Blue Bell would return to select markets and expand slowly to fifteen states;

down from the company’s previous twenty-three state market. As hoped, the announcement

created giddy excitement amongst Blue Bell consumers.

Post-crisis

While Blue Bell is now back in the business of making ice cream, the company engages

in a continuous sanitation process to banish listeria from its factories. Over a year later, the

company is fighting to reclaim grocery store shelf space lost during its hiatus. In addition, it is

working to expand its flavors back to its previous offered varieties. Lastly, the company is

dealing with civil litigation and possible regulatory penalties. In July 2016, Texas health

officials “entered into an enforcement agreement with Blue Bell Creameries, penalizing the

company $175,000” as a result of the outbreak (Collette, 2016, p. 1). A federal lawsuit and a

federal criminal investigation are still pending.

On a positive note, it appears Blue Bell continues to focus on providing “high quality,

safe, delicious ice cream” to its customers (Blue Bell Creameries, n.d., sec. 8). Blue Bell’s

production line and safety testing improvements have made the company a forefront of safety in

the ice cream production industry. Many of Blue Bell’s competitors may soon find themselves

forced to implement similar practices as the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

regulations forces food suppliers to focus on preventing contamination and documentation of

prevention procedures utilized (Pollack, 2016, p. 2).

Analysis

Image Restoration Discourse


With Blue Bell at its lowest point with suspended manufacturing, reduced workforce, costly

repairs and production revisions, Kruse was focused on rebuilding the company’s image.

Consciously or not, Kruse utilized strategies outlined in William Benoit’s theory of image

restoration discourse. Although Benoit presents five general image restoration strategies, Benoit

(1997) indicates “multiple strategies can work together” (p. 184). It appears Kruse utilized a

combination of mortification, reducing offensiveness of the act, and corrective action strategies.

The mortification strategy entails the organization “admitting responsibility and asking

for forgiveness” (Hackman & Johnson, 2013, p. 428). We saw Kruse first implement this

strategy during the early stages of the crisis event. In his March 27th letter to consumers and

retail customers, Kruse “personally” apologized and indicated Blue Bell “regrets” the incident

(Kruse, 2015a, para. 1 & 4). Kruse apologized again in his April 20th statement when all Blue

Bell products were recalled. He indicated the company was “heartbroken” over the situation and

apologized to “loyal Blue Bell fans and customers” (Blue Bell, 2015g, para. 2). Although Kruse

indicated Blue Bell was not certain how Listeria was introduced into their facilities, health

officials’ reports indicated several problems within facility operations and indicated Blue Bell

should have prevented the issue. We saw Kruse taking responsibility in his apology statements

indicating, “we intend to fix this problem” (Kruse, 2015b, para. 7).

Benoit (1997) explains a potential drawback to the mortification strategy “is that it might

invite lawsuits from victims (p. 181). However, with the Blue Bell brand being rated number 3

amongst ice cream producers in the United States in 2014 and health official reports being made

public, lawsuits were inevitable in this situation (Collette, 2015, p. 2). It was apparent the

mortification strategy would not suffice to repair Blue Bell’s image. Therefore, Kruse utilized

additional approaches.


The second general image repair strategy utilized by Kruse was to reduce offensiveness

of the act. This strategy has six versions to include bolstering, minimization, differentiation,

transcendence, attack accuser, and compensation (Benoit, 1997, p.179). With the exception of

the differentiation and attack accuser approaches, it appears Blue Bell utilized most of the

versions throughout the course of the crisis event.

Benoit (1997) explains, “a corporation may use bolstering to strengthen the audience’s

positive feelings toward itself, in order to offset the negative feelings connected with the

wrongful act” (p. 180). In several of Kruse’s statements in response to the crisis, bolstering is

used to “describe positive characteristics they have or positive acts they have done in the past”

(Benoit, 1997, p. 180). The March 13th product recall announcement begins with the statement,

“for the first time 108 years,” essentially reminding customers Blue Bell has been a reliable ice

cream producer for generations (Blue Bell, 2015h, para. 1). In Kruse’s March 27th letter to

consumers and retail customers, he indicated Blue Bell was “working diligently with the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Kruse, 2015a, para. 3). After expressing sympathy,

Kruse stated, “Nothing is more important to us than maintaining your trust. All of us at Blue

Bell hope you will give us the opportunity to continue to serve you” (Kruse, 2015a, para. 6).

Bolstering continued in Kruse’s April 3rd press release announcing that “out of an abundance of

caution” Blue Bell was suspending operation at the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma plant (Blue Bell,

2015j, para. 2). Kruse explained the reasoning for this was because Blue Bell was “doing

everything possible to provide our consumers with safe products and to preserve the trust we

have built with them and their families for more than a century” (Blue Bell, 2015j, para. 2). In

Kruse’s April 20th statement, he again bolstered Blue Bell was “committed to doing the 100

percent right thing” when he announced a complete product recall (Kruse, 2015b, para. 1). He


reminded consumers Blue Bell’s “entire history has been about making the very best and high

quality ice cream” (Kruse, 2015b, para. 7). Finally, Kruse thanked customers “for their support

and patience” while Blue Bell worked to “create the cleanest, safest environment possible to

produce the high-quality, great-tasting ice cream people expect from Blue Bell” (Blue Bell,

2015f, para. 10). Blue Bell’s April 23rd Facebook responses to consumer’s posts of support

states, “Our team is hard at work to bring Blue Bell back!” (Blue Bell Ice Cream, 2015b, reply

1). Kruse’s April 27th message indicated Blue Bell intended “to make a fresh start” with “new

systems to drive continuous improvement” (Blue Bell, 2015a, para. 4). In the Blue Bell

Creameries update provided on May 7th, Kruse bolstered, “Blue Bell is committed to a thorough

process that will ensure the highest quality and safety of our products” (Blue Bell, 2015f, para.

9).

Since bolstering is intended to assist offset negative feelings in part by reminding the

audience “of the organization past service to the community, excellent products, contributions to

the local, and so on,” the strategy should not be the sole approach to restoring an organization’s

image (Hackman and Johnson, 2013, p. 427). Coombs (2007) indicates “bolstering strategies are

best used as supplements” to responses to crisis (p. 192). Therefore, Kruse utilized additional

reduce offensiveness approaches.

During the early stages of the product crisis, Kruse attempted to minimize the effects of

the health officials’ findings. Initial recall communications indicated only “a limited amount of

frozen snacks” had “a potential listeria problem” (Blue Bell, 2015h, para. 2). In addition, the

April 3rd communication stated the company was “voluntarily” suspending operations at the

Broken Arrow plant “out of an abundance of caution;” failing to mention the numerous facility

problems identified by health officials (Blue Bell, 2015j, para. 2). After the CDC recommended


on April 6th that consumers “not eat” any product made at the Oklahoma plant, Blue Bell

announced it was “voluntarily withdrawing” products made there, insisting: “It is important to

note that these products HAVE NOT BEEN RECALLED” (Blue Bell, 2015c, para. 2 & 6).

However, a day later when the FDA notified Blue Bell listeria had been discovered in additional

flavors at the plant, the company announced an official recall of those flavors already part of the

“withdrawal” (Blue Bell, 2015c, para. 2).

Hackman and Johnson (2013) explains, “Minimization reduces the damage caused by the

crisis by convincing publics that what happened wasn’t as bad as it seemed” (p. 427). However,

the downside to this approach is that it may reduce the organization’s credibility if conflicting

information emerges. In Blue Bell’s case, health official reports continued to indicate the

magnitude of the problem. Eventually, Blue Bell had to completely suspend operations to

address the issue properly. In Kruse’s April 20th statement, he explained, “At every step, we

have made decisions in the best interest of our customers based on the evidence we had available

at the time” (Kruse, 2015b, para. 1). It appears Kruse is attempting to maintain credibility and

provide explanation for Blue Bell’s slow recall actions.

Benoit (1997) defines transcendence as “attempts to place the act in a more favorable

context” (p. 181). Although Kruse did not utilize the transcendence approach to address the

product crisis, he did utilize it in his May 15th lay off announcement. Specifically, he explained

the reduction in workforce, pay, and hours were needed because of “an obligation to do what is

necessary to bring Blue Bell back and ensure its viability in the future” (Blue Bell, 2015b, para.

2).

Transcendence is typically utilized “in hopes that the accusers will try to understand the

broader context and view the offensive act in a more positive sense” (Utsler & Epp, 2013, p.


143). However, it can make the organization appear to be evading responsibility. Therefore, it is

best used in combination with other approaches.

The final version of reduce offensiveness strategy utilized by Kruse is the compensation

approach. Hackman and Johnson (2013) defines compensation as “attempts to reduce the

damage of an action by offering payments” (p. 428). On all communications in which Kruse

indicated a product recall, consumers who had purchased the items were “urged to return them to

the place of purchase for a full refund” (Blue Bell, 2015d, para. 10; Blue Bell, 2015e, para. 6;

Blue Bell, 2015c, para. 4; Kruse, 2015b, para. 6). At this time, litigation is on-going for the

deaths and illnesses associated with Blue Bell’s listeria outbreak. Therefore, compensation

offers are not available. However, in November 2015, Blue Bell did tender a $450 offer of

judgement to a Louisiana consumer who claimed he was not compensated for Blue Bell products

that were discarded upon notification of the recall. The consumer did not accept the offer

(Davis, 2015, p. 1).

The compensation approach is intended to reduce offense and improve the company’s

image. However, it only works if the victim finds the offer acceptable. In addition, the approach

works best when combined with other image repair strategies.

The final general image restoration strategy utilized by Kruse is the corrective action

approach. Benoit (1997) indicates the strategy calls for the company to promise “to correct the

problem” and “can take the form of restoring the state of affairs existing before the offensive

action, and/or promising to prevent the reoccurrence of the offensive act” (p. 181). We see

Kruse make reference to correcting the problem and restoring operations in several of his

communications. In Kruse’s March communications regarding the initial recalls, he explained

“Blue Bell ceased all production and distribution of products” identified to be part of the


production line containing listeria (Blue Bell, 2015d, para. 8). In addition, in his March 27th

letter to consumers and retail customers, Kruse assured Blue Bell was “working diligently with

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)” and would “review the FDA’s findings and

make necessary adjustments” to operations (Kruse, 2015a, para. 3). In his April 3rd

communication, Kruse announced the Broken Arrow plant operations would be suspended to

allow the company’s “team of expert consultants” to “conduct a careful and complete

examination to determine the exact cause of the contamination” (Blue Bell, 2015j, para. 3).

Upon the completion of the investigation, Kruse again assured Blue Bell would make “all

necessary improvements” and “return to operation” (Blue Bell, 2015j, para. 3). Even though he

announced in his April 20th communication that all Blue Bell operations would be suspended,

Kruse outlined new operating procedures being tested and reiterated Blue Bell continued to work

with “the world’s most respected food safety microbiologists” “to eliminate this problem”

(Kruse, 2015b, para. 1). Kruse’s May 7th communication detailed corrective action being

conducted at each facility to address FDA and food safety expert concerns. Kruse stated, “We

know we have to get this right, and we intend to do so. That is our top priority” (Blue Bell,

2015f, para. 8). In addition, he explained when discussing a time frame, “we are mapping out

the many details of returning to production and distribution as soon as we can do so with

confidence” (Blue Bell, 2015f, para. 9).

Corrective action was a requirement in the Blue Bell crisis. With reported deaths and

illnesses, health officials would not allow Blue Bell to continue production without corrective

action. On August 17, 2015, Blue Bell announced they would “begin distributing ice cream to

select markets on August 31st” (Blue Bell, 2015b, para. 1). In the announcement, the company

indicated it had taken “several months” of work to make “facilities even better” and to ensure


everything produced “is safe, wholesome and of the highest quality” for consumers “to enjoy”

(Blue Bell, 2015b, para. 3).

Benoit (1997) explains, “a firm commitment to correct the problem…can be a very important

component of image restoration discourse” (p. 184). However, “correct action cannot assure

success” (Benoit, 1997, p. 184). If the organization does not fulfill its promises, or they prove

inaccurate, the approach could backfire.

I argue Blue Bell utilized all image restoration strategies available to them in the situation.

By utilizing a combination of mortification, reduction of offensiveness, and corrective action

approaches, Blue Bell’s responses were appropriate and effective and assisted the company

retain their loyal consumer base. Had Blue Bell attempted to utilize denial or evasion of

responsibility approaches, the result would have been further criticism, loss of consumers, and

possibly additional litigation.

When executing an image restoration strategy, an organization must launch a successful

campaign in attempts “at influencing groups of people…through a series of messages”

(Hackman and Johnson, 2013, p. 286). Hackman and Johnson (2013) further explains,

“Successful campaigns utilize those media that are most accessible to audiences” (p. 287). Since

national media outlets picked up on the listeria outbreak story, Kruse’s medium selections of

Blue Bell’s webpage and social media accounts were a straight-forward choice to communicate

with stakeholders. Majority of the communications regarding product recalls were

communicated through formalized press releases. They provided necessary information needed

to clearly explain the problem, resolutions being implemented, and who to contact for further

information. However, Kruse utilized a personal approach through letters and video clips for the

more sensitive topics, such as apologies, total product recall, and workforce reductions. It was


appropriate to utilize the video clips to put a face with the delivery of the apology or difficult

news. The medium appeared to support the mortification approach by making it more effective.

Discourse of Renewal

Although Benoit’s theory of image restoration focuses on managing threat to the image

of the organization, Ulmer, Sellnow, and Seeger’s discourse of renewal theory argues “there is

potential for an optimistic discourse that provides a vision for the organization as it moves

beyond a crisis” (Ulmer, Sellnow, and Seeger, 2009, p. 304). The objectives central to the

discourse of renewal are “organizational learning, ethical communication, a prospective rather

retrospective vision, and sound organizational rhetoric” (Ulmer, et. al, 2009, p. 304). Through

this analysis, it is evident Blue Bell’s president and CEO, Paul Kruse utilized discourse of

renewal in his communications to navigate the company beyond the crisis.

“Crisis creates an opportunity for an organization to confront its problems or

deficiencies” (Ulmer, et. al, 2009, p. 305). When notified of the positive listeria result, Kruse

focused on identifying and rectifying the problem by working with health officials and “the

world’s most respected food safety microbiologists” to inspect manufacturing plants and systems

to assist the company “get to the bottom” of the problem (Kruse, 2015b, para. 1). Further, Kruse

vowed the company was “committed to doing the 100 percent right thing” (Kruse, 2015b, para.

1). Blue Bell closed all production facilities to modernize production lines. The overhaul

required facility construction upgrades, extensive equipment disassembly and sanitization,

production line retooling, retraining employees, and implementation of new testing procedures.

Although these improvements were costly, they allowed Blue Bell to be one of the first ice

cream producers in compliance with new FDA requirements and demonstrated to the

stakeholders that Blue Bell had learned from the crisis.


The second factor in the discourse of renewal theory is “communicating ethically before,

during, and after the crisis” (Ulmer, et. al, 2009, p. 305). Ulmer, et. al, (2009) explains,

“Organizations that institute strong positive value positions with key organizational stakeholders

such as openness, honesty, responsibility, accountability, and trustworthiness before a crisis

happens are best able to create renewal following the crisis” (p. 305). Blue Bell had an

exceptional relationship with stakeholders prior to the product crisis. Marketed as a “small-town

family business whose ice cream is a labor of love” reminded many consumers of their

childhood in which Blue Bell was most likely a staple on hot summer days (Elkind, 2015, p. 3.

Beloved in the South, Blue Bell has a loyal customer base. This is evident by the showings of

support during the crisis. Stakeholders took ads out of the Houston Chronicle stating, “God

Bless Blue Bell” (Blue Bell Ice Cream, 2015b, timeline post). In addition, the company’s

Facebook page depicted numerous comments of support from followers.

Ulmer, et. al, (2009) explains, “Renewal and ethics also focus more on provisional or

instinctive responses to crisis rather than on strategic communication” (p. 306). Although Kruse

has been criticized for implementing a recall creep, instead of a full product recall, Kruse

defended his actions by stating, “we have made decisions in the best interest of our customers

based on the evidence we had available at the time” (Kruse, 2015b, para. 1). Prior to the crisis,

Kruse had established a long pattern of corporate and social responsibility. After Kruse took

charge of Blue Bell, he wrote about his responsibility to his employees. He wrote, “it occurs to

me that (thousands) of employees and their families are dependent on how the company

performs. That knowledge can be a bit sobering. And really, they are why I come work each

morning. Employees are the key to what we do at Blue Bell and the primary reason for our

success” (Collette, 2015, p. 7). So when it became apparent Blue Bell could no longer retain all


its employees on the payroll, Kruse announced his “agonizing decision” to reduce the workforce

to meet the “obligation to do what is necessary to bring Blue Bell back and ensure its viability in

the future” (Blue Bell, 2015b, para. 2). Although the decision was difficult, Kruse had an ethical

responsibility to not only the remaining employees, but the communities depending on Blue

Bell’s survival.

The third feature of a renewing response is communication focused on prospective rather

than a retrospective vision (Ulmer, et. al, 2009, p. 307). Ulmer, et. al, (2009) argues

organizations should “focus on the future, organizational learning, optimism, their core values,

and rebuilding rather than on issues of blame or fault” (p. 307). In Kruse’s April 27th

communication, he vowed Blue Bell intended “to make a fresh start” (Blue Bell, 2015a, para. 4).

In addition, he explained, “This is a paradigm shifting event at Blue Bell and we want to put in

place new systems to drive continuous improvement” (Blue Bell, 2015a, para. 4). Kruse did just

that by product line redesigns and upgrades, new sanitation procedures, and product testing

processes. Some argue these changes have allowed Blue Bell to become the “forefront of safety”

in the ice cream production industry (Collette, 2015, p. 2).

The final feature of a renewing response is effective organizational rhetoric in

communications. Ulmer, et. al, (2009) indicates, “Establishing renewal involves leaders

motivating stakeholders to stay with the organization through the crisis, as well as rebuilding the

organization better than it was before” (p. 308). Kruse’s statements in his April 20th statement

are evident of his use of effective rhetoric. For example, “We’re committed to doing the 100

percent right thing… Our entire history has been about making the very best and highest quality

ice cream, and we intend to fix this problem. We want enjoying our ice cream to be a source of

joy and pleasure, never a cause for concern, so we are committed to getting this right” (Kruse,


2015b, para. 1 & 7). In response to Kruse’s vision, the company modernized its production

facilities and implemented testing procedures in hopes a similar event would never occur again.

Blue Bell has experienced implications due to Kruse’s renewing discourse. From the

beginning, Kruse he was concerned with all of Blue Bell’s stakeholders. With their wellbeing in

mind, he focused on correcting the problem to ensure this crisis would not repeat itself. Kruse

utilized Blue Bell’s story of being a family-run business, created and based in a small town. This

helped create a favorable image in the media, which allowed Blue Bell to retain its loyal

customer base, even after the total product recalls. In the end, because of Kruse’s vision, Blue

Bell has implemented corrective action measures that modernized its facilities and has helped the

company become a forefront in safety for the ice cream industry.

Conclusion

When faced with a crisis, leaders must implement communication strategies to effectively

and appropriately manage the situation. Blue Bell’s president and CEO, Paul Kruse, utilized

both image restoration and discourse of renewal approaches to lead the company through the

crisis. Although the company is still, a year later, managing the after math of the crisis, it

appears Kruse’s strategic use of a combination of image restoration approaches as well as his

efforts to communicate a company vision post-crisis has allowed the company to emerge

stronger.

Although I contend Kruse was able to successfully restore Blue Bell’s image and his

vision had a renewing effect, there are areas Kruse could have improved and thus learn from

should a future crisis occur. First, Kruse’s apology and compassionate statement appeared late.

It was nearly two weeks after health officials notified Kruse of the illnesses caused by Blue

Bell’s ice cream before he posted his letter of apology. Although Kruse’s team was likely in a


fact-gathering mode, the apology should not have been delayed. As Hackman and Johnson

(2013) indicates, organizations should “respond quickly and forcefully when a crisis strikes” (p.

410). Second, Kruse implemented several product recalls before implementing a total product

recall. This action made the company appear reactive instead of proactive. Thus, may have

damaged the company’s credibility. I recommend the company review their crisis management

plan and possibly add a recall plan that limits the number of recalls in an area before a total

product recall is issued. Finally, after Kruse lamented the lay-off of one-third of Blue Bell’s

workforce was an agonizing decision, he has not provided any additional updates. The company

has been vocal regarding the safety methods implemented as well as the slow return of its

product to stores. However, there has been no information provided on the laid-off employees.

While there may be various reasons for Blue Bell’s silence, for example financial security or the

need for additional employees is not there, providing information on the situation could assist the

company’s reputation with its employees and their families and their communities.

Along with the implementation of communication strategies, Kruse’s actions during the

crisis demonstrated strong crisis leadership. First, it is evident Kruse is an emotionally

intelligent leader. From the start, Kruse framed his messages with humility and accountability.

He used words like “personal,” “heartbreaking,” “support,” and “humbled” which helped

stakeholders believe in the company throughout the crisis event (Kruse, 2015a, para. 2, 4, &5;

Kruse, 2015b, para. 1 & 7). As Fairhurst (2011) explains, “the framing of authentically positive

emotions increases positive emotional contagion” (p. 133). Second, Kruse was not afraid to take

bold actions. By willing to implement a total product recall at the peak of the summer selling

season, Kruse demonstrated his social responsibility to company stakeholders. Although the

move was likely inevitable due to the health official reports that listeria contamination had been


linked to cases dated as early as January 2010, Kruse’s move did assist with the generation of

goodwill toward the company. Third, Kruse’s action of total product had an unintentional effect

of making the consumers miss the product. The timing of the recall, while it decimated sales

during the peak season, caused an uproar in Blue Bell’s wildly loyal consumer base. When the

announcement was made in August 2015 that Blue would be returning, consumers welcomed the

company back with open arms. Because Blue Bell was only returning to production on a limited

basis, to help field the consumer’s questions on availability, Blue Bell implemented a product

finder map on its webpage so consumers could track when their favorite brand would be in a

store nearby.

The combination of Kruse’s use of communication strategies as well as his actions above

allowed consumers to feel comfortable with the company’s leadership. After the crisis, Blue

Bell’s consumers welcomed the product back into their homes were excited to do so. If it

weren’t for the pending federal lawsuit and federal criminal investigation, it would be easy for

the public to forget the incident since the public’s health is no longer in danger. Until then, Blue

Bell executives won’t be able to fully move past this crisis.


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