Ben & Jerry’s Serves up Cone Contest, Sampling
Ben & Jerry’s is launching its newest ice cream novelty, The Cone, with a contest that rewards consumers for their good deeds.
The Random Acts of Cone-ness Contest will laud 100 winners by mailing them two packages of The Cone (in Cherry Garcia and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavors). Consumers nominate a friend by submitting a 100-word essay online.
The pun-intensive call for entry encourages players to make up limericks, rhymes and their own puns to describe the good deeds of their nominee; all entries must use the word “cone.” Ben & Jerry’s will follow up with nominators (but not nominees) in the future with promotional offers and samples.
“We think everybody must get coned this summer, but we’re looking to give 100 cone-worthy Americans a sweet reward for actions that inspire the most creative nominations. Whether for their cone-geniality or a cone-tribution they have made to society, we want to hear about it,” said Director of Marketing Lisa DeNatale in a statement.
The contest dovetails with sampling blitzes, dubbed Ben & Jerry’s Random Act of Cone-ness Weeks, in New York City (May 22-26), Chicago (June 5-9) and San Francisco (June 12-16). Street teams called “Cone Samaritans” will distribute 50,000 cones in all; passers by can even ask the teams to hand-deliver a cone to a friend or family member.
The contest runs May 18 through June 30. Promotion Mechanics, Inc., Newtown, CT, executes the contest for South Burlington, VT-based Ben & Jerry’s, a division of Unilever.
The Cone is a waffle cone coated with chocolate, filled with super-premium ice cream (Cherry Garcia or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough) and topped with fudge chunks. It has rolled out nationally in supermarkets and c-stores in single-serve packs ($2.19) and three-packs ($3.99).
Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry’s continues to pull entries for its Do Us a Flavor contest (PROMO Xtra, March 16, 2006). Five finalists will win a trip to Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury, VT, plant for a Flavor Finals showdown in September; one grand-prize winner gets a party for 20, featuring a batch of the winner’s flavor, at a local scoop shop.
Frozen novelties are a small but fast-growing segment of Ben & Jerry’s $239 million business. The brands’ frozen novelties sales hit $1.96 million, up 148%, for the 52 weeks ended April 16, per Information Resources Inc. Information Resources Inc.. Its ice cream sales continue to grow despite an overall category decline: Ben & Jerry’s sales were nearly $214 million in food, drug and mass outlets (excluding Wal-Mart) for the time period, up 2.5% despite a category decline of 0.8%, per IRI. Ben & Jerry’s holds nearly a 5% share of the $4.4 billion ice cream/sherbet segment. Its frozen yogurt sales hit $23.2 million; sherbet sales were $414,217, IRI reported.
