Today hippy ice-cream brand Ben & Jerry’s announced that it is renaming one of its flavours, from Oh! My! Apple Pie! to Apple-y Ever After, to support the UK proposal to legislate same sex marriage (hear, hear). This isn’t the first time Ben & Jerry’s have voiced their support for the gay community. Back in 2009, they renamed an ice-cream Hubby Bubby, formerly Chubby Hubby in celebration of the legalisation of gay marriage in its home state of Vermont.
Aside from the social merits of this bold move, you also have to applaud the use of their own assets (i.e. the name of their ice-cream) to reaffirm the brands free-thinking reputation. In a world of shrinking advertising budgets and media fragmentation, smart brands are exploiting their greatest assets to drive business. Food for thought.
