Licor 43

Sometimes the most influential audience is the one traditional marketing experts overlook… or avoid. We leveraged the renowned appeal of the Mexican carajillo and turned it into a mainstream favorite among culinary enthusiasts.

Billboards

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From a Little Texas Creamery to a Cultural Icon

Blue Bell Creameries

Blue Bell Creameries has grown from a small-town creamery founded in 1907 in Brenham, Texas, into one of the most beloved brands in the United States. For nearly two decades, Roger Christian & Co. (RCCO) and FPO Marketing have partnered to build, protect, and evolve the brand, guiding it through expansion, cultural growth, and one of the most challenging moments in its history. This case study shows how disciplined brand building, cultural insight, and consistency over time transformed a respected regional brand into an enduring cultural icon.
 
 

A Texas original since 1907—built on tradition, craftsmanship, and trust.

Building the Brand

Turning a Great Brand Into a Cult Brand

When RCCO partnered with Blue Bell in the early 2000s, the opportunity was to continue elevating Blue Bell’s brand love in Texas and beyond without losing what made it special. The work leaned into what makes Blue Bell distinct in the consumer’s mind: the best-tasting ice cream in the country, rooted in small-town authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to quality that is never compromised.

Blue Bell never chased trends, the strategy has always been focused on authenticity, reinforcing familiarity, warmth, and emotional connection. Across television, radio, outdoor, digital, and product storytelling, the brand was positioned not simply as ice cream, but as a part of life; something consumers associated with family traditions, comfort, and the simple pleasure of doing things the right way.

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Television

Website

Consistent, product-led storytelling that reinforced quality, familiarity, and everyday relevance.

In Pop Culture

The Blue Bell jingle wasn’t just written, it was crafted by our agency in collaboration with Aaron Barker, one of Nashville’s most celebrated songwriters.

Its impact has gone far beyond advertising. On tour, Barker is regularly asked to perform the Blue Bell song, and audiences don’t just listen, they sing every word.

What started as a brand jingle has taken on a life of its own, becoming a shared anthem and a true piece of pop culture among music fans.

The Centennial Moment (2007)

Blue Bell’s 100th anniversary in 2007 became a defining moment in the brand’s story. More than a celebration, the Centennial was an opportunity to reinforce the values that had always set Blue Bell apart: craftsmanship, authenticity, and the quiet confidence of a brand that had never needed to shout.

The platform ‘Homemade taste frozen in time’ captured this beautifully. It positioned Blue Bell as a brand that had remained true to itself for a century; an idea that not only honored the past, but created a powerful bridge to the future. The Centennial work strengthened Blue Bell’s emotional equity and became an anchor for the brand’s next phase of growth.

A century of tradition, reinforcing Blue Bell’s timeless identity and emotional connection with consumers.

The Hispanic Opportunity

When Product Was the Strategy
As Blue Bell expanded into new markets, Hispanic consumers became a critical growth opportunity. The initial effort to connect focused on product innovation. In the early to mid-2000s, Blue Bell introduced Latino-inspired flavors such as Dos Amigos, Tres Leches, Dulce de Leche, and Buñuelos. The idea was understandable on the surface, but the response made one thing clear: cultural inspiration alone does not create cultural connection.

The flavors generated interest, but they did not create the deeper resonance needed to grow the brand meaningfully within Hispanic communities. That challenge revealed a more important opportunity. The issue was not whether Hispanic consumers could love Blue Bell. The issue was understanding why they would and how to connect with them in a way that felt naturally authentic.

Early efforts to connect with Hispanic consumers through Latino-inspired flavors helped reveal the difference between product inspiration and authentic cultural connection.

The Insight

Listening Before Leading
Instead of assuming, FPO Marketing went into the market and listened. Through own research, we spoke directly with Hispanic consumers to understand their relationship with Blue Bell and with premium ice cream more broadly.

What we uncovered changed the strategy. Hispanic consumers did not want Blue Bell to necessary become more Hispanic. They wanted Blue Bell to stay true to what it already was. The values that defined Blue Bell such as tradition, craftsmanship, family moments, and doing things the right way have been already aligned deeply with Hispanic values.

One insight stood above all: for many Hispanic consumers, great desserts are appreciated through the lens of craftsmanship. The artisanal care behind how something is made matters. That is exactly what Blue Bell had always stood for. The opportunity was not to change the brand. It was to reveal its relevance.
 
 

Research revealed that Blue Bell’s strongest bridge to Hispanic consumers was not flavor novelty, but authentic tradition and craftsmanship.

The Breakthrough

Hecho a la Antigüita
The breakthrough was to frame Blue Bell through a truth that already existed within the brand: old-fashioned craftsmanship. FPO introduced the platform ‘Hecho a la Antigüita’ or made the old-fashioned way. Rather than forcing a brand change, the campaign reframed Blue Bell in a way that aligned naturally with Hispanic cultural values.

This platform connected the brand’s homemade-like heritage with a deeper appreciation for artisan quality and generational pride. Messages such as ‘Deliciosamente hecho a la antigüita’ and ‘100 años de sabrosa tradición’ did more than translate. They captured the emotional value behind the brand and made that value legible to Hispanic audiences without compromising Blue Bell’s identity.

By elevating craftsmanship, heritage, and tradition, the campaign connected Blue Bell’s existing brand pillars to Hispanic cultural values.

Execution at Scale

Once the platform was established, the work extended across television, radio, outdoor, digital, and social. A key advantage of the integrated model was the ability to think in English and Spanish from the beginning, rather than adapt work later. This made the communication more cohesive, more efficient, and more intentional.

That same discipline continues today. Blue Bell still relies on ongoing broadcast, bilingual creative, social content, and launch support for new products. The relationship has never been static. It has evolved as the brand has evolved, while remaining grounded in the same strategic truth.

Broadcast Videos

Creative developed upstream to work across audiences—ensuring consistency, efficiency, and stronger relevance. Please notice that Hispanic sibling is helping his younger sister, in contrast to the other creative where they are more independent.

PR, Adaptation, and Transcreation

Beyond advertising, FPO also supports Blue Bell through communications adaptation and transcreation. This includes press release versioning and other public-facing materials created for English-speaking consumers, U.S. Hispanic audiences, and in some cases Caribbean Latino audiences concentrated in Florida.

This work requires more than translation. It requires understanding when literal accuracy is enough, when transcreation is needed, and how to preserve tone and intent across culturally different audiences. That capability has helped Blue Bell maintain message consistency while communicating effectively with increasingly diverse communities.

Message integrity maintained across audiences through thoughtful adaptation, not just translation.

The Defining Moment

Crisis and Comeback
In 2015, Blue Bell faced its greatest challenge. A Listeria-related contamination forced a nationwide recall and a full shutdown of production. For many brands, a moment like that permanently breaks trust. For Blue Bell, it proved the strength of what had already been built.
When the product returned to shelves, consumers came back quickly. The brand did not need to be reinvented or reintroduced. The loyalty was already there. Years of disciplined brand stewardship, authentic communication, and emotional connection had built a reservoir of trust strong enough to withstand crisis.

That comeback was not accidental. It was proof that when the work is done right (when a brand remains honest, consistent, and deeply connected to the people who love it) consumers never forget.

Strong brands are not built in moments of crisis—but proven by them.

The Outcome

Today, Blue Bell stands as the #3 largest ice cream brand in the United States, the #1 selling vanilla ice cream in the country, and a brand distributed across 24 states and growing. And yet, it remains exactly what it has always been: a little Texas creamery built on authenticity, quality, and trust.

That is the real success story. Blue Bell grew without losing itself. It became more inclusive without becoming inauthentic. It recovered from crisis without losing the loyalty it had earned. And it continues to evolve because the work behind it has always been rooted in the same principle: build the brand right, and people will keep coming back.

Message integrity maintained across audiences through thoughtful adaptation, not just translation.

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Whataburger Final Four

We didn’t need to be official to own the moment. During the Final Four in our hometown, we turned San Antonio into Whataburger’s home court, welcoming fans through high-impact takeovers that celebrated 75 years of presence, pride, and connection.

Baggage claim monitors displaying animated offerings of Whataburger’s extensive menu options and operating hours.

Fan-generated social media posts highlighting interaction with our 10′ bag in baggage claim.