Ben & Jerry’s Media Campaign
William Kennedy
Southern New Hampshire University
INTRODUCTION
Born out of a renovated gas station in Vermont over 30 years ago and with unheard of different flavors of ice cream Ben & Jerry’s was created. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield both grew in Merrick Long Island. They met in Jr. High and became fast friends. Jerry finished college but couldn’t get into any med schools and Ben went to college but dropped out of everyone he attended. Both realizing they were not going anywhere doing what they were doing they decided to start their own food business. Neither knew anything about starting a business but both loved eating ice cream and that made ...view middle of the document...
ECONOMIC MISSION: Operate the company in a way that results in a sustainable financial manner of profitable growth, increasing value for stake holders and opportunity for expansion and employee career growth.
Ben & Jerry’s need to focus their media efforts in 3 areas of their CSR program. Their caring dairy efforts is a good initiative where they can focus on not only helping the local farmers prosper but also continue their environmental mission of no GMO’s and humane treatment of animals. Also they should highlight their energy saving initiatives but also expand them to include solar and other alternative energy sources.
Another area of focus for their media campaign would be their philanthropic giving. They should highlight some of their existing programs but also enhance and expand into other organization that is beyond their narrow scope of their social agenda. Other children based charities as well as educational opportunities on sustainable farming are just a couple of areas to focus.
MEDIA & AUDIENCE
Ben & Jerry’s Audience is adults who are usually very comfortable or well of financially and are innovators and trend followers. There are also young adults who love desserts but are looking for a different type that is all natural and have low fat alternatives.
These types of consumers are usually are environmentally conscious and are very aware of social issues and tend to be on the liberal side of the political spectrum.
Media forms should be a three pronged approach, Ads that are in print, radio and television. These can be in the form of a commercial or sponsorship of an event. They can also use of their packaging to get the word out on their efforts for social responsibility. They need to have media coverage of their philanthropic giving. This way the public knows of their support to issues they care about.
Social Media is big in today’s market. Use of media such as Facebook, Twitter and the internet in general is important to companies today for any media campaign. This is must do part of the media campaign for Ben & Jerry’s.
IMPLEMENTAION:
One area of philanthropic giving Ben & Jerry’s should focus is children based charities. Yoplait Yogurt, a General Mills Company has a Save Lids to Save Lives initiative. Here they have pink lids on the yogurt and for every lid sent in or code redeemed on line they donate 10 cents to the Susan G Komen Cancer Foundation. Here Ben & Jerry’s I would run a similar campaign that would be used to support their cause.
Lids for Kids
This would be a campaign for Supporting the Jimmy Fund which is a charity that supports the search for a cure for cancer in children. Like Yoplait’s program Ben & Jerry’s would donate 15 cents to the Jimmy Fund for every Ice Cream Lid sent in as well as redeemed code on line. The Lids would be in the color of bright yellow and carry the Jimmy Fund logo of a child’s face and a slogan of Help End Cancer in Children.
A radio,...
