In its "Contact Us" section, there is a mailing address for company's Fairfield, Calif., headquarters and the its Pleasant Prairie, Wisc. distribution center, but today's journalists are inclined to use snail mail as they would be to take notes with a quill pen and inkwell. The email function is a generic form with a pull-down menu that includes nearly everything but how to find a media/corporate communications contact. The "FAQ" is no better and clearly targeted to consumers. Searches for "media" and "corporate communications" were fruitless, but I did learn the Fairfield, Calif., factory offers RV parking.
There is also an "800" number, but my instincts tell me that when the outgoing voice is Mr. Jelly Belly, most information will center on selling candy. After listening to all telephone options, I sadly learned my instincts were correct. There's no specific option for journalists to use to contact someone at the company.
Despite the lack of contact information or a media kit on its Web site, Jelly Belly doesn't suffer from media underexposure. A Google News search reveals a variety of coverage, much of it on Kina Graniss, including an interesting Associated Press feature story on Jelly Belly creator David Klein's latest attempt to create the next big thing in candy (Klein and a partner sold their company interest in 1980 for $4.8 million, then Klein disappeared from the candy scene) and a Web posting on how her video (made with 288,000 Jelly Belly beans) has gone viral. The AP story was picked up by numerous outlets, including The Huffington Post's "David Klein, Former Mr. Jelly Belly, Looks For A Comeback," so whatever media relations strategy Jelly Belly uses seems to work pretty well.
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| David Klein (AP/Jae C. Hong) |
But I couldn't believe that brand with so much media exposure would have such a hide-and-seek media relations mentality, so I kept searching. Finally, in frustration, I did what most people would do - a Google search for "Jelly Belly" AND "media contact," which immediately turned up a seemingly separate Web site, www.jellybellypress.com," which had all the information I'd been laboring to find all along.
The "Contact Us" section has a generic email address publicrelations@jellybelly.com, but there's a local California phone number for the director of communications along and a serious disclaimer that "Only calls/emails from media outlets will be returned."
The "Press Kit" section claims to "include every resource you will need about Jelly Belly Candy Company," but the link on the words "Press Kit" doesn't seem to lead anywhere and the rest of the page contains a yawning gap where one would guess additional information would reside.
However, the section includes the latest press releases, many of which are recipe-focused, such as the latest, Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes. These releases, which fail to meet the standard of "Template for a Press Release," contain tagged keywords like "baking," "cupcakes" and "decorating," which lead to related items/entries across the JellyBelly.com. There are more traditional press releases such as "Jelly Belly Intros New Beanaturals® Superfruit Flavours," but I'm stumped as to why an all-American company like Jelly Belly would spell "flavor" with a "u" in its press release. Maybe Madonna wrote that one.
Finally, there's a link allowing users to subscribe to a feed, with the ability to select terms from "baking" to "uncategorized." This is a useful tactic to regular connect consumers, journalists and others with the latest company news and information.
I am just as perplexed as you by the "u", although being Canadian, to me, the word is spelled correctly :)
ReplyDeleteI never understand why companies make it so hard to find information about themselves. Clearly Jelly Belly has not found itself in a situation where its needed the publicity.
I'm actually surprised by it too - especially since Jelly Belly seems like it would lend itself well to endorsements and product placements that media contacts would be useful for. Although, as you said, maybe it's just because they don't need to worry about the publicity as long as they have Mr. Jelly Belly handling all their calls!
ReplyDeleteI am not quite sure that your conclusion follows from your overall discussion. It seems to me this company has very spotty media relations at best. I don't see anything here about Facebook or Twitter. Only a discussion of your own arduous efforts to find media material that only a journalist with a class assignment would bother to track down. If they don't do the traditional social media and make it impossible to find basic press materials, it would seem to me the message is that they don't really care to communicate with their market.
ReplyDeleteThe "flavour" with a "u" observation is a good one.)