18 pages, via online journal article, Blue Bell Creameries faced an unprecedented situation when it pulled all of its products during a Listeria outbreak in 2015. Despite a very public crisis that resulted in three deaths, Blue Bell survived the disaster and maintained a large and loyal customer base. A content analysis of the Blue Bell Ice Cream Facebook page was conducted to evaluate Blue Bell’s public communications, and its followers’ public reactions to the Facebook communication during the crisis. Results indicated that Blue Bell primarily posted messages that included recall and restocking information, thankfulness to stakeholders, and details about improvements to food safety during the crisis. These messages created a sense of transparency, which can increase customers’ trust and brand loyalty. Their consumers largely responded with comments containing overwhelming loyalty themes as well as questions and messages of thanks. Recommendations for agri-food companies include operating transparently before, during, and after a crisis. Organizations should follow Blue Bell’s example and avoid publishing messages that include attacks, denial, scapegoating, or excuses during a crisis.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 127 Document Number: D02716
Notes:
Paper presented at the 2014 AAEA/EAAE/CAES joint symposium: Social networks, social media and the economics of food, Montreal, Canada, May 29-30, 2014. 14 pages.
This study examined an organizations’ crisis communication strategy (i.e., crisis response strategy and technical translation strategy) on social media and publics’ cognitive and affective responses. Twenty crisis communication messages posted by Foster Farms regarding a salmonella outbreak and 349 public responses were analyzed. The results showed that a technical translation strategy generated more public acceptances of message and more positive emotions than a crisis response strategy. A crisis response strategy generated more public rejections of message and more negative emotions than a technical translation strategy.
National Pork Board (author) and Lessing-Flynn (author)
Format:
Online document
Publication Date:
2015
Published:
United States: Public Relations Society of America
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 8 Document Number: D10300
Notes:
3 pages., Via Silver Anvil Awards., Consumers have questions about how pigs are raised, and no one knows the answers better than pork producers themselves. Activist groups against pig farming have become increasingly active on social media, where the voices of pork producers were relatively silent. As the connection between pork producers and the food industry, the National Pork Board recognized the potential damage this could cause to the pork industry’s reputation. The #RealPigFarming campaign was born out of a need to engage producers in sharing stories from their farms, and contributing to online conversation about pork production. The results surpassed original goals by 2,730 percent.
17 pages., via online journal., Social media are transforming communication between organizations and their audiences, and even changing the organizations themselves. Social media's low cost and low requirements for technical skills needed to both use and maintain an online presence allow small businesses with limited marketing budgets to use the same marketing strategies as bigger businesses with large marketing budgets. In addition, social media provides businesses direct and interactive ways to reach out and retain customers. This case study analyzes Cedar Park Farmers Market (CPFM)'s use of its Facebook page. Using Facebook Graph API Explorer, we extracted data regarding posts and fans of CPFM's Facebook page since the page was created. We then examined the data to explore the social networks, including farmers market organizers, vendors, and customers, within CPFM's Facebook page and how the market used its Facebook page, by looking at the Facebook page layout, composition of fans, post intensity, post ownership, media type, and degree of engagement. We found that (1) the market organizers, customers, vendors, and local communities were all engaged with the CPFM Facebook page; (2) the CPFM used Facebook as a marketing platform to publish timely information (e.g., available products or upcoming events) and to reach and retain customers and vendors; and (3) the CPFM's Facebook page functioned as a cyber–social hub to connect and engage the local community.
Shan, Liran Christine (author), Panagiotopoulos, Panagiotis (author), Regan, Aine (author), De Brun, Aoife (author), Barnett, Julie (author), Wall, Patrick (author), and McConnon, Aine (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2015
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 151 Document Number: D11599
5 pages., Online via UI e-subscription, Researchers examined the use and impact of social media on two-way communication between consumers and public organizations in the food safety and nutrition area. Findings indicated that social media penetrated and brought new opportunities to interactions between food organizations and the public.
