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Michael PalmerCEO McConnell’s delicious ice creamis on a mission to revitalize the existing brand without losing its cool character.
The ice cream brand has been around since 1949, but Palmer took it over in 2012 and knew he needed to tread rigorously, respecting the brand’s deeply loyal fans while leading McConnell’s into a latest era.
“One of the most successful things we did in the first three, four, five years was convincing our current consumer base – which wasn’t huge, but very dedicated – that we hadn’t done anything at all,” Palmer tells Shawn Walchef of California BBQ Media.
This approach allowed the team to make significant changes without alienating McConnell’s Ice Cream’s fanatical fans as the company modified the scene. One latest approach involved a charity collaboration with one other Santa’s Barbarian, Katy Perry Honey, Firework Blue Raspberry ice cream.
“McConnell’s was a great product, but it was older,” Palmer says. “It was very inconsistent…freezers needed updating, equipment needed updating, some recipes needed updating.”
The challenge was to modernize the company’s operations and product offerings while maintaining the essence that made McConnell’s a beloved brand for many years.
In celebration of McConnell’s seventy fifth anniversary, the company introduced retro-inspired flavors that paid homage to the past while adding a fresh twist. This rebrand wasn’t just about nostalgia, but about standing out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Palmer’s strategic vision for McConnell has all the time been easy, and he says the philosophy is each a strength and a challenge for the brand. “Simplicity is the hardest thing we do,” he says. “We are very simple when it comes to ingredients… it is much more difficult to make products like ours with three ingredients.”
This commitment to simplicity extends to the brand’s minimalist packaging, which features distinctive white mugs decorated with notes of charcoal and red – a design that Palmer said was deceptively difficult to attain.
Authentic storytelling on social media
In a world of fierce competition, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams needed to rely on greater than just the quality of its products to face out. Palmer believes that effective branding and storytelling are essential, especially in social media dominated by noise.
“There’s been a lot of talk on social media about how loud you talk,” Palmer says, but he doubts loudness is the answer. “Maybe the key is to be quiet… and just tell the story or your story better than… [the competition]”
Under Palmer’s leadership, McConnell’s has focused on telling its story with authenticity and craftsmanship, using social media to share its unique narrative rather than competing in mass play.
“We tell what makes our story unique and different… and then we tell it again and again,” Palmer says.
Looking ahead, the brand stays true to McConnell’s roots while pursuing growth opportunities, including exploring potential collaborations.
As the company continues to grow, Palmer’s vision is clear: stay authentic, tell a story and deliver the highest quality ice cream possible. With these guiding principles, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams continues to thrive, proving that the simplest approach is sometimes the best.
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