Ben & Jerry’s has spent decades proving a brand can take a stand and still sell a lot of ice cream. Now co-founder Ben Cohen says that stand is at risk, and he’s asking marketers and communicators for help.
At Advertising Week New York on Oct. 6, Cohen introduced his talk as a "creative brief:" How do you preserve Ben & Jerry’s as an activist brand? Cohen claimed the brand's preservation fight is with Magnum Ice Cream Company, which became a standalone public company after Unilever spun off its ice cream division. Unilever bought Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 and agreed to allow its independent board to have authority over its social mission. Cohen said Magnum doesn’t respect that agreement and has kept the brand from speaking out on issues including Palestine and the Trump administration.
A spokesperson for Magnum has told numerous media outlets that Ben & Jerry's was "not for sale" and it had "always respected" the brand's commitment to continue its "social mission."
Whatever side the public takes, Cohen provided a masterclass in how brands can go about creating a mission, the importance of sticking to that mission to create a strong bond with consumers and how to continue that mission in changing cultures and environments.
Do the Work First
Cohen traced the brand’s activism to the late 1980s, and the end of the Cold War, when the brand launched chocolate-covered ice cream bar on a stick, also known as a "Peace Pop."
"We decided that our packaging could be used as media, and we could use it to communicate with customers, instead of it just being a treat," Cohen says.
The company launched 1% for Peace, which set a goal to redirect one percent of the national defense budget to fund peace-promoting activities and projects. Cohen said it was controversial to do within the Ben & Jerry's company itself.
"This was before the "socially responsible business" terms were coined yet," Cohen said. "Upper level management...some supported it, and some thought it was stupid. They thought business should not be talking about world affairs or suggesting we take money out of the Pentagon budget, because at the time, businesses did not do that."
The company later wrote a three-part mission (product, economic and social) and laid it out horizontally to show the parts carrying equal weight. Cohen compared the process to the book "The Velveteen Rabbit."
"This was what Ben & Jerry's did to become real," he said. "It wasn’t about advertising or an image. This was about doing the work."
Cohen stated that taking controversial stands is the point.
"What is the sense of doing it if everyone already agrees with it?" he asked.
Authenticity Pays
Ben & Jerry’s ranked No. 2 on the 2023 Authenticity 500 brand index, behind Patagonia. The company reported global sales of $1.1 billion in 2025.
Cohen noted that customers will bond with authentic brands that actually work for justice, not just because of some emotional ad.
The intangible stuff, he argued—not just numbers—is what people care about.
"Having a social mission, and then being attacked, yet doing it over and over—that’s what created this amazingly strong brand," he said. "That and some really great ice cream."
Turning Up the Pressure
The “Free Ben & Jerry’s” campaign started with polite requests to Magnum, Cohen said. When those failed, it turned to the media. He cited 200-plus U.S. articles and 80-plus in Europe, with extra focus on the Netherlands, where Magnum is incorporated. Cohen said the Dutch use the idiom “De aap komt uit de mouw,” meaning "the monkey comes out of the sleep," which they also included in their campaign there.
"In other words, it means a hidden true self is revealed," he said.
Cohen Appeals to the AWNY Audience
Cohen ended his speech by inviting attendees to enter a contest to create the best guerrilla marketing campaign for the cause. The prize includes a trophy, bragging rights for saving Ben & Jerry's and free ice cream for life. There will be at least two winners.
"Ben & Jerry's is a leader for socially conscious business," he said. "If you cut down the leader, it harms the movement."
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.