Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Research and Results

Problem Definition

• Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is an artisan ice cream company known for its creative flavors and high-quality ingredients. • In 2015, the FDA discovered a bacteria called listeria in

Jeni’s production areas.

Management Decision Problem- What can Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams do to stop their brand from being associated with the 2015 listeria outbreak. Marketing Research Problem- To determine the consumers’ perception of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Approach to the Problem

RQ1: Where did the consumers get their information about Jeni’s listeria outbreak?H1: Read posts on social mediaH2: Word of mouthH3: Stayed up-to-date with a legitimate news source

RQ3: Why have some customers remained loyal to Jeni’s? H1: Not informed of the outbreakH2: Values the feel of the Jeni’s brand

RQ2: Where does the consumer spend their money instead?H1: Visits competing ice cream vendors like Grater’sH2: Buys ice cream from the storeH3: Opts for an entirely new snack

RQ4: How large of an impact does the media have on consumers?H1: Consumers base decisions off of what the media projectsH2: Consumers decisions are unaffected by the media

Theory: Those who no longer purchase from Jeni’s still fear a listeria outbreak.

Selected Research Design

• Focus Groups• 3 groups: Those who used to purchase, those who still purchase and

those who have never purchased.• Depth Interviews

• No depth interview was needed since the information needed was retrieved from the focus groups.

• Other Forms of Research • Word association and sentence completion was no longer needed

after the focus groups were conducted.

Data Collection Method

Focus Groups: • 2 people per group• Used quota sampling to control characteristics• Were asked nine questions

Survey: • 20 surveys completed• Were asked 10 questions • Structured, Unstructured, Dichotomous, Likert Scale • Distributed in person

Data Analysis

No. User Group Sex Attitude1 3 1 92 1 1 53 2 1 34 3 2 105 1 2 56 1 1 37 2 2 28 2 2 49 1 2 510 1 1 411 3 1 812 3 1 913 2 2 514 1 2 515 3 2 816 3 1 717 3 1 1018 1 1 419 2 2 320 2 2 2

Usage and Attitude Toward Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

User Group1= Never been to Jeni’s2= Used to go to Jeni’s, but doesn’t anymore3= Still goes to Jeni’s

Sex1= Male2=Female

Data Analysis

Value Label Value Frequency Percentage

The Worst 1 0 0%  2 2 10%  3 3 15%  4 3 15%  5 5 25%  6 0 0%  7 1 5%  8 2 10%  9 2 10%

The Best 10 2 10%

Frequency Distribution of Attitude Toward Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

210%

315%

415%

525%

75%

810%

910%

1010%

Results

• Honesty and willingness to give information resonated with consumers.• There are still consumers who fear another outbreak.• A few forgot about the entire situation.• Only one person was unaware of the outbreak. • All respondents agreed that Jeni’s is no longer a hot

commodity.

Comments

• “Their ice cream is not worth getting sick”• “I love salty caramel!”• “Maybe if they offered coupons”• “Jeni’s and Graeter’s are way too expensive”• “Store-bought is just as good”

Limitations and Caveats

• 2 individuals per focus group was not sufficient enough.• There was a lot of time spent finding people for the focus

groups. • The research may not have focused on the right question.

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Jeni’s is not as popular and seems to have been forgotten all together.• They must come up with a new strategy to sell their brand.

• Updated website• Updated social media • Promotions and Advertising

• Honesty is the best policy

Thank You