Today's guest post is by Kristin Davie, Peppercom JAE.
There are three people a girl can count on to carry her through any heartbreak- her father and good ole’ Ben and Jerry.
Turns out, Ben & Jerry’s doesn’t just help mend a broken heart, they’re not half bad at social media either.
To commemorate the creation of its New York Super Fudge flavor, the Ben & Jerry’s NYC Scoop Truck has been making its way around Manhattan delivering tasty, frozen treats- over 500,000 samples in 6 weeks. What better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of such a flavor staple than in the city that served as inspiration?
Every Wednesday, Ben & Jerry’s accepts suggestions from hungry Manhattan tweeters as to where
they should stop next- and after a great group tweeting effort (including a rather persuasive picture of some hungry Peppercommers), Peppercom was fortunate enough to be paid a visit yesterday.
The campaign is a great example of social media reinforcing brand loyalty. Not to mention, it made publicists out of everyday consumers, as more and more people took to Twitter to spread the message and encourage friends and office mates to submit a 140 character pitch of their own.
Yes, we took the tweeting pretty seriously. There’s a rumor I pumped my fists in the office kitchen when I heard the good news (DISCLAIMER- I’m from New Jersey), but who could blame me? Cold, delicious ice cream is a welcome reward when the temperature is nearly 90 degrees outside.
At the end of the day, Ben & Jerry’s reminded me that I shouldn’t limit myself to picking up a pint when a boy breaks my heart. The brand can help make some happy memories, too- just check out the smiles on all of us.
I agree, there’s just something about ice cream! I think the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and the Ben & Jerry’s Truck are doing a great job at re-inventing, rather than re-hashing, experiential marketing. Both are really taking things a step further, and the community they’re creating proves how successful this approach can be- just look at Dairy Queen’s Blizzardmobile.
I just wish the Greasetrucks at Rutgers in New Jersey would take their act on the road.
I think free ice cream always creates goodwill… Another company that deserves kudos is the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck in Manhattan: http://www.biggayicecreamtruck.com/
For two hours yesterday in midtown, they gave out free ice cream in honor of Gay Pride Month, which was a great idea.
Thanks for the comments Rob and Laura! Ben & Jerry’s is certainly utilizing a popular approach- incorporating a digital strategy to better engage consumers. They definitely take it to a new level. It will be interesting to see if other street trucks adopt a similar one, especially with new legislation in New York City being proposed that could place restrictions on mobile vendors.
Think about how much the Peppercom team was talking about the Ben and Jerry’s brand online… they created brand ambassadors on the PC team within a few hours.
Talk about experiential marketing… as you point out, the brand is now associated with a happy memory for you and 30+ others.
What a great campaign.
Excellent post, as well.
Great guest blog post, Kristin! Agreed that this was a great social media campaign by Ben & Jerry’s. A lot of street trucks are using Twitter to pinpoint their location for the day, but could benefit even more if they followed Ben & Jerry’s approach.