MULO Brands With Soul October Pick: Ben & Jerry’s
Many MULO (multi-location) brands avoid social or political causes for fear of backlash or polarization of their consumer base. But, for one company, activism has been part of its culture since its launch — Ben & Jerry’s. The brand now has about 500 brick-and-mortar locations worldwide, but its products are distributed throughout retail and C-store channels and its factories produce products for other companies, like the B-corp Greyston.
In fact, this year, the brand launched a new ad campaign (the first in years) called “Make Some Motherchunkin’ Change!” Running on digital media platforms and via targeted OOH advertising in New York and LA, the campaign focused on climate change, racial justice, and gay pride.
Churn Out the Vote is one of Ben & Jerry’s new timely flavors, another example of how the brand incorporates social missions into all aspects of its product development and marketing.
Jay Curley, Ben & Jerry’s global head of integrated marketing, was quoted in Digiday as saying, “For us, this wasn’t jumping on a trend; it’s literally core to why we exist as a business. For us, it’s not, ‘What’s our purpose-driven stuff for this year?’ It’s more, ‘This is the work we do and our job is continuing to lead in the space so others can follow.’”
The values section of the company’s website is more than lip service or a stunt to drive sales. Although the company itself has transformed and evolved from its founding in 1978, the ethics and energy of its founders have lived on. The brand was purchased by Unilever, which will soon be divesting its ice cream brands. But Ben & Jerry’s giant parent company has kept the soul of the brand alive.
Keep in mind that if a brand is committing to a social mission, it needs to be genuine in its beliefs (because today’s consumers can easily see through fakery) and ready to deal with any backlash or controversy that may ensue.
We at Street Fight will continue to profile MULO brand that are fearless and community-oriented, using their resources and consumer bases to make positive change in the world.
Do you work for a company that we should consider for a feature? Please get in touch!