I want to thank Ben & Jerry for their promosexual* decision to rename Chubby Hubby to Hubby Hubby in support of gay marriage (or is it same-sex union?).  It’s a great pun and a great name.  It’s a powerful endorsement of a worthy cause. And it’s so much better than other more graphic approaches they could have taken, such as Ben sitting on Jerry’s lap in that famous circle picture.

Here’s the scoop, as told by BJ’s own press release:

Ben & Jerry’s Renames Legendary Flavor to Celebrate Freedom to Marry

Ice Cream Company Renames “Chubby Hubby” to “Hubby Hubby,” for the Month of September to Celebrate Gay and Lesbian Couples Getting Married in Vermont

BURLINGTON, Vt.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ben & Jerry’s, known for its euphoric ice cream flavors and dedication to social justice, celebrates the beginning of the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont with the symbolic renaming of its well-known ice cream flavor “Chubby Hubby” to “Hubby Hubby.” In partnership with Freedom to Marry, Ben & Jerry’s aims to raise awareness of the importance of marriage equality and, to show its support, will serve “Hubby Hubby” sundaes in Vermont Scoop Shops throughout the month of September.

Ben & Jerry’s has a long history of commitment to social justice, including gay rights. Its partnership with Freedom to Marry, a national leader in the movement for marriage equality, aims to raise awareness of the importance of marriage equality and to encourage other states to follow the blazing trails of Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and Maine. Freedom to Marry promotes the national conversation about why marriage equality matters and brings together partner organizations into a larger whole – a shared civil rights campaign.

“At the core of Ben & Jerry’s values, we believe that social justice can and should be something that every human being is entitled to,” said Walt Freese, Chief Executive Officer of Ben & Jerry’s. “From the very beginning of our 30 year history, we have supported equal rights for all people. The legalization of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont is certainly a step in the right direction and something worth celebrating with peace, love and plenty of ice cream.”

To kick off the celebration, Ben & Jerry’s and Freedom to Marry will be publicly supporting the first marriages of gay and lesbian couples in Vermont and raising awareness for marriage equality and how to take action by driving consumers to freedomtomarry.org. By logging onto the site, people can show their support, sign a Marriage Resolution Petition, have conversations about why marriage matters and learn more about how they can support the cause.

“It’s not polite to talk with your mouth full, but the most important thing that all us ice cream lovers can do to support the freedom to marry is speak with the people we know about why marriage matters and the need to end marriage discrimination in every state”,” said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry. “Thanks to Ben & Jerry’s, starting those needed conversations has never been sweeter – and thanks to Freedom to Marry, we all now have a great excuse to eat more ice cream.”

For more information on why marriage equality matters and to take action in your state, please log on to freedtomarry.org. To find your local Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop or learn more about Ben & Jerry’s social mission, log onto www.Facebook.com/benjerry. Also, don’t forget to visit us on www.benjerry.com.

About Ben & Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry’s produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream and ice cream novelties, using high-quality ingredients including milk and cream from family farmers who do not treat their cows with the synthetic hormone rBGH. The company states its position on rBGH on its labels. Ben and Jerry’s products are distributed nationwide and in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops, restaurants and other venues. Ben & Jerry’s, a Vermont corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part Mission Statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Contributions made via the employee led Ben & Jerry’s Foundation in 2008 totaled over $1.9 million. Additionally, the company makes significant product donations to community groups and nonprofits both in Vermont and across the nation. The purpose of Ben & Jerry’s philanthropy is to support the founding values of the company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support our Vermont communities. For the full scoop on all Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop locations and fabulous flavors, visit www.benjerry.com.

About Freedom to Marry

Freedom to Marry is the gay and non-gay partnership working to win marriage equality nationwide. Launched in 2003, Freedom to Marry is headed by Evan Wolfson, nationally recognized as a central “architect of the marriage equality movement.” Freedom to Marry guides and focuses this social justice movement on a nationwide level, serving as a strategy and support center for national, state, and local partners, a catalyst that drives and shapes the national debate on marriage equality, and an alliance-builder fostering support from non-gay allies.

For more info you can contact Ben & Jerry’s Grand Poobah of P.R. Sean Greenwood, 802-846-1500 Sean.Greenwood@benjerry.com

* PromoSexual def; adj. homosexuality related promotions.  A term I thought I coined ’til I Googled it.  Damn!

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image:  Ben & Jerry’s

Post from: EveryJoe

BEN & JERRY Go PromoSexual w/ Hubby Hubby

According to my Ben & Jerry’s Chunkmail:

As a way to thank our customers for their support and to celebrate 31 years of scooping the chunkiest, funkiest ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet, Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops are happily giving it away!

Around the world, Scoop Shops are opening their doors from noon to 8:00 pm, to serve up a free scoop of your favorite flavor. Please check with your local Scoop Shop for more info! Grab a pal and come on down to have some good, ’scream fun on us!

Not long ago, Quiznos tried a product giveaway that backfired miserably and brought national attention to their franchisees’ discontent.

Hopefully, Ben & Jerry’s years of experience with Free Cone Day will provide a better experience for both scoop shop franchisees and customers.

DID YOU GET YOUR FREE CONE AT BEN & JERRY’S TODAY?  HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE?

Graphics:  Ben & Jerry’s

Post from: EveryJoe

BEN & JERRY’S: It’s Free Cone Day!

Last week we posted the snarky email message from Ben & Jerry’s making fun of rival Häagen-Dazs’ supposed redefining the pint as 14 oz. rather than 16 oz.

Read:  Who’s Phonier? Haagen-Dazs? Ben & Jerry’s?

Being openly criticized on the immeasurably powerful FranchisePick.com blog obviously sent shockwaves through the factories to the boardrooms of Häagen-Dazs.

And rightfully so.

Today, we received this response to Ben & Jerry’s email from an obviously shaken Häagen-Dazs:

You may have seen a recent message from Ben & Jerry’s calling out our decision to downsize our Häagen-Dazs cartons.

While the reality is that size sometimes matters, we continue to believe that quality matters more.

Our ice cream is created with only a few select, simple, all-natural ingredients.

That is why we searched six years for the perfect variety of strawberry for our Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream and why we paid four times more over the last two years for the raspberries that make it into our Häagen-Dazs raspberry sorbet.

And we wouldn’t think of soaking the raisins for our Häagen-Dazs rum raisin ice cream even a minute less than the 60,480 minutes (42 days, actually) that they currently luxuriate in their rum baths.

Why not? Because then it just wouldn’t be Häagen-Dazs. Call us obsessive. But we’re that serious about our ice cream. We hope you’ll continue to make it your ice cream.

Thank you for giving us a chance to respond.

While not trashing Ben & Jerry’s ice cream directly (that would be poor form for the refined and umlauted ice purveyor) the response definitely casts doubt as to Ben & Jerry’s commitment to quality rather than quantity.

It makes one wonder:

• Is it better to have 14 oz. of select, simple, all-natural ingredients than 16 oz. crammed with shards of heath bar, brownies, marshmallow and peanut butter cups?
• Do Ben & Jerry’s raisins luxuriate in rum baths for 60,480 minutes (42 days, actually)?  If not, how long DO they luxuriate?
• How exactly are Ben & Jerry’s “fudge fish” harvested, and does Greenpeace approve?

The scoop has been thrown down once again.

Ben?  Jerry?  What do you have to say for yourselves?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

Image:  Häagen-Dazs

Post from: EveryJoe

Häagen-Dazs Responds To Ben & Jerry’s Email

Or wonder what it would cost?

Well, here are the estimated start-up costs for a typical Ben & Jerry’s franchise (supplied by the company).  Contrary to what many believe, the bulk of your investment as a new franchise owner is paid to vendors, suppliers, contractors, landlords, etc. and not to the franchisor company.

The chart below breaks out not only the items and costs, but also who is paid for each:

ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES FOR SCOOP SHOPS
TYPE A AND B (APPROXIMATELY 750-1500 SQ.FT)

ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES FOR:

INLINE SCOOP SHOPS (APPROXIMATELY 450-650 SQ.FT): $160,100 to $264,900

A SHOP-IN-SHOP SCOOP SHOP (APPROXIMATELY 450-650 SQ.FT): $143,600 to $217,900

KIOSK SCOOP SHOP (APPROXIMATELY 100-200 SQ.FT): $118,300 to $210,900

ADDITIONAL ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES:

3 months’ operating expenses: $55,000 (estimate)
According to Ben & Jerry’s, “You will need additional funds to support on-going expenses, such as payroll, rent and utilities, to the extent that these costs are not covered by sales revenue. New businesses often generate a negative cash flow. We estimate that the amount given will be sufficient to cover on-going expenses for the start-up phase of the business, which we calculate to be 3 months. This is only an estimate, however, and there is no assurance that additional working capital will not be necessary during the start-up phase or after. A more detailed description of the total investment required is available in our Franchise Disclosure Document.”

Source:  Ben & Jerry’s Image: Ben & Jerry’s

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Post from: EveryJoe

BEN & JERRY’S Franchise Start Up Costs

Seems that Ben & Jerry’s has built it’s brand, in no small part, by slamming rival Haagen-Dazs for being a phony corporate brand with a made-up pseudo-Scandinavian that means… nothing.

A current Ben & Jerry’s email campaign (subject line: A pint is still a pint!) blasts Haagen-Dazs for dropping the size of its “pint” container from 16 oz. to 14 oz.

But, really, which brand is being more devious here?

Ben & Jerry’s gives the impression that Haagen-Dazs is trying to pull a fast one.  In reality, Haagen-Dazs isn’t calling the 14 oz. container a “pint.”  Furthermore, they announced the change in advance via press releases and on their website.

[Pictured:  Ben & Jerry's Co-founder Jerry Greenfield]

It’s ironicly humorous that Ben & Jerry’s continues to position itself as the underdog hippy David pitted against the effete corporate goliath of Haagen-Dazs.  It’s been nearly a decade since Ben & Jerry’s once-hippy owners sold out to multinational corporate behemoth Unilever.

Check out:  Ben & Jerry’s Busts on Haagen-Dazs. Again.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

photo credit: chris friese License:  Creative Commons

Post from: EveryJoe

Who’s Phonier? Haagen-Dazs? Ben & Jerry’s?

(FranchisePick.Com)  It’s voting day in the home of the brave and the land of the free… The free donut, coffee, taco and ice cream cone.

The franchise industry is providing patriotic voters with their own economic bailout program… making sure they get their fix of sugar, caffeine and butterfat.  If only the oil companies would be so generous.

Krispy Kreme Get a free star-shaped donut from any Krispy Kreme just for saying you voted… or not.  Since it’s illegal to reward people for voting in many states, all ya gotta do is ask for your donut.

Ben & Jerry’s   Ben & Jerry’s is celebrating election day by giving out free scoops of ice cream

Starbucks:  Get a free cup of coffee at Starbucks for voting.

Daily Grill:   All Daily Grill locations are giving out free appetizers to voters, and happy hour will be expanded throughout the evening (bar only).

California Tortilla:  Local precincts are reporting the distribution of free taco coupons.

Chik-fil-a:  Participating Chick-fil-A locations are feeding American voters (and non-voters) a free chicken sandwich.

You might want to call ahead to make sure your local franchisee is participating.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

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Post from: EveryJoe

Franchise Freebies for Voters

In her recent Newsweek article (Ben & Jerry’s Bitter Crunch), Suzanne Smalley reports that last year 38 of Ben & Jerry’s 456 North American ice-cream shops, or 8%, closed their doors.  Cold Stone Creamery closed an even greater number of shops (71),  which represented a slightly lower 5% of their total units.

Ben & Jerry’s Chief Executive Walt Freese blames the fact that while ice cream sales have remained flat nationwide, competition from upstarts such as Cold Stone Creamery & Marble Slab has tripled in recent years.  Failing Ben & Jerry’s franchise owners aren’t so quick to let the franchisor – now owned my multi-national giant Unilever – off the hook.  In interviews with two dozen current and former franchisees, a number of complaints some of the complaints levelled against Ben & Jerry’s include:

-  Ben & Jerry’s misled franchisees into “investing their life savings into stores doomed to failure…”

-  The company “did little to help them stay afloat.”

- Wholesale pricing extended to big buyers like Wal-Mart & Costco enabled them to undercut scoop shops

-  Headquarters failed to provide effective marketing and support

- Ben & Jerry’s provided misleading earnings projections in their franchise disclosure documents.

The Summer of Love This Ain’t

Allegations regarding the allegedly deceptive “earnings claim” numbers provided to prospective Ben & Jerry’s franchise owners is the basis of at least one lawsuit so far, and others may follow.  California franchisee Mehrdad Porghavami alleges the company’s “financial projections” were “false and misleading.”  

Ex-franchisees Bekki Ramsey and her husband, Aaron Richardson,  claim that the average store sales numbers provided by Ben & Jerry’s were inflated by including higher-volume locations such as casinos and airports.  They claim that they have lost $220,000 of Ms. Ramsey’s elderly parents’ retirement savings due to the failure of their Phoenix scoop shop.

Struggling Blacksburg, Va. franchisees Alan and Shannon Sherman also say they relied on the gross sales average of $364,892 cited in the 2004 Ben & Jerry’s franchising circular.  They opened their scoop shop in 2004 with a business plan based on that sales volume. The Shermans claim they’ve already lost a half-million dollars and counting.  They feel abandoned by the franchisor and plan to sue.

According to Smalley, many other Ben & Jerry franchisees have no complaints and dismiss the critics as unsuccessful owners blaming the company for their own failures.

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Post from: EveryJoe

The Scoop on Ben & Jerry’s Failing Franchises