How far would you go to protect the reputation of your brand?

Jeni Britton Bauer, the founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, had a booming business making exceptional, artisan ice cream in Columbus, Ohio. She sold through her scoop shops as well as through retailers. Her ice cream had flavors like Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallow, Pumpkin 5-Spice, and Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk. 

And a pint of Jeni’s will set you back $12, more than three times the price of super premium ice creams like Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s.

Crisis in the Kitchen

In January of 2016, two of the seventy-five samples collected tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The positive samples came from the floor of the prep room and the floor around a drain. Their sanitation procedures had been inadequate to prevent this outbreak.

How would you react if your multi-million-dollar business had a problem that could kill your brand overnight?

Lessons in Reputation Management

• They recalled every pint of ice cream nationally.
• They closed all their scoop shops.
• They closed their manufacturing facility.
• They hired an expert who formerly worked as head of Quality for Ben & Jerry’s

They realized if their business had any chance to come through this dilemma, they would need to rebuild their processes from scratch.

From the inspection of fruit coming in for blending to every single detail of handling, processing, manufacturing and distributing their product. What they understood was that nothing matters more than your reputation. If Jeni’s would survive this crisis, the leadership had to protect the brand at all cost. It most of the cost at least several million dollars to take the steps they took, but they wouldn’t survive if their brand were tainted with fear. By acting swiftly and aggressively, they proved they could rise again.

Brands mean nothing if your customers don’t trust you. And if you ingest that brand’s product, the stakes are even higher.

How would you react to this type of business killing challenge?

Is your brand’s reputation the filter you use for mission-critical decisions?  Do you need help with your brand’s reputation that may need help? Let’s talk. 919 720 0995 or jeffslater@themarketingsage.com

Photos courtesy of Jeni’s