Why Ben & Jerry’s isn't shying away from activism

In the last few years, brands have shied away from taking social or political stances, including pulling Pride merchandise and walking back working with a trans influencer. But for Ben & Jerry’s, activism has long been a part of the brand’s ethos, even when it has been at odds with parent company Unilever. The Vermont-based brand supports social justice causes including voting rights, racial justice, fair trade and environmental justice. Between pictures of ice cream pints, Ben & Jerry’s social media highlights activists, shares information on voting and criminal justice reform and presents the brand’s stances on Supreme Court rulings. It also works with ingredient suppliers who employ refugees, and are Fair Trade certified. Ben & Jerry’s has also been working to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from its dairy supply chain. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) Jay Curley, Ben & Jerry’s global head of integrated marketing, talks about the ice cream maker’s approach on the newest edition of Ad Age’s Marketer’s Brief podcast, including answering questions about its complicated relationship with brand owner Unilever. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Amazon Music/Audible. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend! While other brands have tried not to anger consumers by taking stances, Curley says Ben & Jerry’s still views activism as a way to help consumers decide in a crowded category. “The truer we are to ourselves, the more success we have as a business,” Curley said. “There’s a lot of options to buy ice cream out there. But we’re an ice cream company that has a certain set of values that we try to use our business to bring to life. And I think for those people who don’t like it, there’s plenty of other options. But for those who get what we’re trying to do, that’s a much deeper bond than just liking Cherry Garcia or Cookie Dough.” Also read: Brands are wary of election marketing Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Parent company tensions Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 and is responsible for its operations. But earlier this year, Unilever announced plans to spin off its ice cream unit, which includes Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum and other brands, saying it wanted to become a “simpler, more focused company.” In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s said that it would not do business in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The next year, Unilever sold the Israeli arm of Ben & Jerry’s to a local licensee to continue sales in the region. Ben & Jerry’s then sued Unilever to block the sale, but the parties settled in December 2022. “You know, there was a lot tied into that decision, and there has been a lot litigated since,” Curley said on the podcast. “I won’t comment on the specifics of it, but I think we made decisions based on what we thought was best for the company and I think Unilever did the same.” Curley says the brand will continue its purpose marketing approach under whatever ownership structure comes next. Unilever expects to complete the spin-off by the end of 2025, executives said during its second-quarter earnings call in July. “It will allow it the flexibility to pursue a distinct strategy as a world-leading stand-alone ice cream business with some of the most powerful, the best brands in the industry,” Unilever Chief Financial Officer Fernando Fernandez said at the Deutsche Bank Global Consumer Conference in June. Unilever’s global ice cream sales were up 0.6% in the first half of the year, underperforming its other units including personal care and beauty and well-being. Finding your brand activism On the podcast, Curley shared advice for brands that are looking to highlight their brand values, including digging into why they want to engage in activism, and then connecting with leaders of those organizations to learn how the brand can best help. “I think most companies have a reason for being beyond selling a product or service,” he said. “So my first piece of advice would be to understand the ‘why’ of why a business is engaging in advocacy. Once you have that truth, it’s about connecting with the people doing the work to understand the role of your business in supporting those strategies.” He added that connecting with organizers and issue leaders can also help brands be more confident in their advocacy work, even if “people want to take shots at you.” To help find the right partners, Ben and Jerry’s has an activism department, including a social mission director and a head of activism. The company works with activist managers who sit in six countries around the world, many of whom have experience working for non-governmental agencies. “These people aren’t poli-sci majors who just think this is a good thing to do,” Curley said. “We embed activist experts. They often come with the understanding and experience around the NGO or movement leaders we want to be working with. But it is interesting, because for the most part we’re working with advocacy organizations that don't usually work with businesses, certainly not ones of our size. So it is often new and different for them, and sometimes for us.” Curley pointed to Patagonia and Lush as other activist brands that Ben and Jerry’s admires. Media mix Like other brands, Ben and Jerry’s has seen its media mix shift towards digital channels, including streaming video and social media. The company recently launched the third season of its podcast “Into the Mix,” which will feature four mini-series focusing on prison reform, voting rights, climate justice and diversity, equity and inclusion policies. “We’ve been very successful using social media to connect our fans to movements,” Curley said. “But it is often hard to get really in-depth into the issues through social. The podcast has allowed us to get much more in-depth on important topics that are connected to our values and the movements we look to support.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

Why Ben & Jerry’s isn't shying away from activism

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