In its return to stores, can Blue Bell still scoop the competition? 

AUSTIN – The familiar Blue Bell label returned to freezer sections in Texas on Monday, but it’s too soon to say how readily consumers will return the local ice cream to their hearts and grocery carts.

It was, after all, a long, hot summer. Blue Bell’s fans likely strayed and  sampled the competition during a months-long shutdown prompted by three deaths traced to its products.

New York brand consultant Robert Passikoff said he doesn’t think Blue Bell will be a tough sell. 

“Ice cream has got to be one of the most emotional categories around,” he said. “People that loved this brand to begin with will be glad the brand is back.”

As Blue Bell restocks supermarkets and corner stores in 15 states, Passikoff and another marketing expert say the Brenham-based creamery stands a fair chance of rebuilding its business.

Founded in 1907, Blue Bell shut down amid listeria outbreaks in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arizona that hospitalized 10 people and killed three, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In April, it pulled all of its ice cream, yogurt and frozen treats.

After work on its factories, Blue Bell restarted an Alabama facility this summer and was still upgrading plants in Texas and Oklahoma as of two weeks ago, according to a company statement. 

Fans welcome the ice cream’s return.

Jacob Jones, a graduate student in Fort Worth, has already run to the supermarket once after somebody told him that his favorite flavor was in stock. 

It turned out to be a false alarm, but Jones, 32, will be back.

“My dad always had a phrase about airports: The safest one to fly out of is where they just had a crash,” he said. “I’m totally going to eat some Dutch chocolate.”

Roger Abshire, a marketing professor at Sam Houston State University,  counts as a good sign for Blue Bell the fact that Jones didn’t mention listeria, layoffs for 1,450 employees and furloughs for another 1,400.

“You know you have a loyal following when people aren’t talking about who died,” he said. “People realize that things happen.”

Passikoff said he pays attention to “emotional engagement” in assessing how brands are faring.

“It’s a leading indicator of profitability. The higher the emotional engagement, the greater the likelihood a consumer will forgive a brand when it runs into difficulties,” he said.

Products and brands with high levels of emotional engagement are six times more likely to get the benefit of the doubt from consumers, he said.

In July, Passikoff surveyed about 1,200 people to gauge their engagement in the ice cream category.

Blue Bell ranked second – topped only by Häagen-Dazs.

Store owners aren’t hesitating to scoop up favorite flavors, either, said Blue Bell spokesman Joe Robertson.

“I bet we’ve filled and re-filled about 1,200 accounts,” he said. “Most major retailers put Blue Bell back in the stores.”

It’s welcome news for a company that came within 30 to 45 days of running out of cash during the shutdown, according to a letter sent by Blue Bell’s CEO, Paul Kruse, to the company’s owners. This summer, Fort Worth investor Sid Bass poured up to $125 million into the company to keep it afloat.

Blue Bell’s money problems may help explain why it’s using social media to get the word out about its return.

On Wednesday, it used Facebook to tell the world that butter pecan is back.

“Our theme is, we want to thank everyone for their support and patience,” Robertson said.

Stories of companies felled by contaminated products, recalls or controversies are as plentiful as ice cream flavors. But many do survive.

Passikoff said their message to consumers is a key to recovery. He pointed to another Texas icon, Austin-based Whole Foods, as an example of what not to do when things go wrong. 

Whole Food got into trouble when New York’s consumer affairs division nailed the supermarket for overcharging on pre-packaged foods. John Mackey, the company’s co-CEO, called the errors “inadvertent” and said Whole Foods’ record isn’t much different from those of its competitors.

“It went viral in the media, and we feel we were victims,” he said in a New York Post report.

Passikoff said blaming others is a big mistake. He noted that Whole Foods stock went down 11 percent for the quarter.

Ultimately, customers focus on “two Cs” when they consider re-embracing a brand, he said.

“You’re looking for closure and contrition,” he said. “You don’t blame everyone else. 

“The other thing is, don’t screw up again,” he added. “The well of forgiveness isn’t bottomless.”

John Austin covers the Texas Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Contact him at jaustin@cnhi.com