Dippin’ Dots grabs headlines for reaching out to White House secretary

Sean Spicer has tweeted disparaging marks about the ice cream on Twitter over the years, but it didn’t stop the company from reaching out after he faced backlash over recent comments.

By Kevin J. Allen
Jan. 25, 2017

It’s been a heck of a first week for White House press secretary Sean Spicer, but it could get considerably better with the help of a PR gambit.

After starting off on a rocky note after his ‘alternative facts’ about President Donald Trump’s inauguration crowds sparked backlash, Spicer could probably use a friend. He might get that from an unlikely source: Dippin’ Dots.

The potential friendship is surprising because of Spicer’s history of posting negative tweets about the frozen spheres that tout themselves as the “ice cream of the future.”

It started in 2010 when Spicer burned the company with this zinger:

Dippin dots is NOT the ice cream of the future

— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) April 8, 2010

In the following years, Spicer’s Twitter feed was peppered with more chilly attacks:

we may not have inauguration attendance data yet, but one set of record turnout numbers are in:

Sean spicer’s angry dippin dots twetes pic.twitter.com/KSXlXLLEeB

— ಠ_ಠ (@MikeIsaac) January 22, 2017

Rather than stooping to petty insults, however, the company saw its chance to reach out (and grab a few headlines in the process).

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In an open letter to Spicer that was published this week, Dippin’ Dots’ chief executive, Scott Fischer, wrote:

Dear Sean,

We understand that ice cream is a serious matter. And running out of your favorite flavor can feel like a national emergency! We’ve seen your tweets and would like to be friends rather than foes. After all, we believe in connecting the dots.

As you may or may not know, Dippin’ Dots are made in Kentucky by hundreds of hard working Americans in the heartland of our great country. As a company, we’re doing great. We’ve enjoyed double-digit growth in sales for the past three years. That means we’re creating jobs and opportunities. We hear that’s on your agenda too.

We can even afford to treat the White House and press corps to an ice cream social. What do you say? We’ll make sure there’s plenty of all your favorite flavors.

Yours,

Scott, CEO of Dippin’ Dots

How’s that for a little maturity in an often catty world of politics—and a smooth PR move, to boot?

The company posted a link to the letter on its Facebook page:

Spicer has yet to address the issue or say whether he’ll accept Fischer’s invitation.