What's the Best Way to Market a Food Product?
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory in Southern Vermont, Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Confession they say is good for the soul. So here's mine, I had been addicted to Ben & Jerry’s Rainforest Crunch Ice Cream. It was made with vanilla ice cream, chunks of cashew and Brazil nut, and buttery caramel crunch mixture. Ben & Jerry's began producing the favor in 1989 and marketed it as eco-friendly product. The sale pitch on the container insisted that the company sourced the nuts from cooperatives in their native Brazil and the revenue helped poor rainforest people earn a living, reduced the practice of clear-cutting the rainforests, and promoted sustainability. Rainforest Crunch quickly became a best seller for the company. Ben & Jerry’s discontinued the product when the news broke that the eco-friendly part of the equation proved false as the company began to source the ingredients from agro-exporters in Brazil instead of cooperatives. In 1995 my favorite ice cream disappeared as the Vermont based company discontinued it as part of its damage control measures to protect its eco-friendly image and overall sales. So what's the take away? Be sure your marketing pitch is legit! Nothing undermines sales like hypocrisy. Second, when you make a change, change the message that you share about the product with your consumer.
