Reinvigorating The Frozen Desserts Category

A successful summer has put a halt to 2005's drop in value. The total ice cream market is now worth £818 million year on year (+1.5%) (Source TNS 52 w/e 1.1.06), with 89% of households buying once a month on average (Source TNS 52 w/e 1.1.06.)

Having taken the lead in 2004, Ben & Jerry's remains the UK's market leading super premium ice cream with 47.1% value share of the market. Ben & Jerry's is also leading the luxury ice cream market with 36.2% value share (Source TNS 52 w/e 1.1.06) and is the fourth largest ice cream brand overall. (Source: ACNielsen 52 w/e).

"We're lucky enough to be custodians of a truly authentic brand whose values and sense of humour attract really loyal fans. Best of all the all-natural quality indulgence of the product drives these fans to recommend us to their friends, and so we grow!"

Following the launch of Fudge Brownie & Cherry Garcia low fat frozen yogurt in October 2005, Ben & Jerry's has become market leader of the luxury light ice cream market (worth £2m in 2005) with a 81% value share (Source TNS 52 w/e 1.1.06.)

Over the past year, Ben & Jerry's consumer penetration of UK households has climbed from 5.3% to 5.7%, while Haagen Daz's penetration has dropped from 5.4% to 4.8%. This means that 216,000 more UK households have bought Ben & Jerry's over the brand's closest competitor (Source: TNS 52 w/e 5.12.05.)

In London, Ben & Jerry's sales have grown by 2.7% over the last year while HD have seen a 4.9% decline (Source: ACNielsen 52 w/e.)

Ben & Jerry's frequency of purchase and spend per trip continue to be amongst the highest in the super premium category illustrating how loyal Ben & Jerry's consumer are (Source: TNS 52 w/e 5.12.05.)

Ben & Jerry's - The Product
Ben & Jerry's diverse range of weird and wonderfully flavoured super premium ice creams remains based on the original recipes of hippie ice cream gurus and company founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

With less air and more butterfat, Ben & Jerry's ice cream is denser, richer and thicker. As well as deliciously creamy ice cream, it's their continuing devotion to absorbing swirls and huge and plentiful chunks that sets Ben & Jerry's apart, ensuring its continuing presence in consumers hearts and mouths.

The unique, innovative flavours (all natural ingredient assurance) and the fun and entertainment associated with the product are key in driving Ben & Jerry's growth within this category.

'Fossil Fuel,' 'Phish Food' and 'Cherry Garcia' are just a few examples of the uniquely tasty and bizarrely named range.

Update:
"The best selling Ben & Jerry's flavours in 2005 were Phish Food and Cookie Dough, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie arguably our most chunk and swirl packed products."

Ben & Jerry's - New Product News
In 2006, Ben & Jerry's is taking a seasonal approach to innovation with spring, summer and winter launches.

Spring sees the launch of 'Oh My! Apple Pie, an apple ice cream with pieces of apple and chunks of rich pie crust. 'Oh My! Apple Pie' is available now in multiples and independents from February. Also pushing up the daisies, is Chocoholic's dream 'Chocolate Therapy,' a heady mix of chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookies and swirls of Chocolate pudding ice cream, initially available from Tesco and independents only.

Summer heralds the launch of another fruit-based flavour. The flavour also happens to be the brainchild of Ben & Jerry's consumer Geoffrey Taylor who won a reader competition in The Times to see his flavour creation put into production. The flavour will be unveiled as part of an integrated marketing campaign from April.

Following the successful 'Minter Wonderland' bonus extra-fill pack in 2004/5, the bonus pack will return for Winter 2006. The 710ml pack will be a brand new flavour and is out October 2006.

'Super-premium ice cream is well established as an all year round snack, and category growth is largely fuelled by innovation. Our plan of seasonal NPD launches recognises this and aims to sustain consumer excitement and trial whatever the weather!,” says Antonia Kaul.

2005 saw the October launch of Ben & Jerry's Frozen Yogurt. Available in classic flavours Cherry Garcia and Chocolate Fudge Brownie (both £3.78RRP), both contain less than 3% fat. Chocolate Fudge Brownie blends low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt with handfuls of chocolate brownie pieces whilst Cherry Garcia is an indulgent mix of low-fat frozen cherry yogurt, real cherries and dark chocolaty chunks. Already this low fat option has delivered incremental growth, and helped Ben & Jerry's scoop market leadership of the luxury light ice cream category.

Ben & Jerry's have had a successful Frozen Yogurt business in the USA since 1988. Antonia Kaul explains:

“With trends in healthier eating on the increase, it felt high time we introduced our less body, more soul dessert option to UK fans.”

The launch has already been supported by a £0.5Million advertising spend across press and cinema, in January to take advantage of the de-tox January season. Further investment is planned for 2006.

Ben & Jerry's - Impulse Ice Cream
Ice cream is now a permanent fixture in the snack market, and in 2004 Ben & Jerry's piloted its first ever ice cream cookie sandwich. Entitled simply 'Wich,’ (£1.69 RRP) this innovative product gave ice cream fans all over the country the chance to sink their teeth into a full layer of choc chip swirled vanilla real cream ice cream, sandwiched between two American style chewy chocolate chip cookies.

2005 saw yet another innovation with the introduction of the 'Wich’ 3-pack multipack to selected outlets. The £3.99 RRP format has more than earned its shelf-space, so look out for a national roll out in multiples across Summer 2006.

Ben & Jerry's also sell 106ml 'snack size' tubs of their ice creams (£1.49RRP.) The mini tubs are a prominent feature in some of the country's busiest cinemas. The flavours available in this format include 'Chunky Monkey,' 'New York Super Fudge Chunk,' 'Chocolate Fudge Brownie,' 'Berry N'Ice,' 'Vanilla' and 'Cookie Dough.’

Ben & Jerry's has also introduced the 150ml Shorty size, in the following iconic flavours 'Cherry Garcia,' 'Chunky Monkey,' 'Chocolate Fudge Brownie' and 'Cookie Dough.' The new size is big on chunks, yet small on size, and is recommended for sale from independent retail outlets.

'The 'Wich is a unique proposition in impulse, and we're delighted to deliver a multiple-friendly format such as the 3 pack to the trade this year."

History
Ben & Jerry's has now been making their crazy combinations for over 25 years. The brand was the creation of childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, following a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making. In 1978, only months after finishing the course, they set up shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. The duo soon became popular for their entertaining approach to the whole ice cream experience, creating innovative flavours, made from fresh milk and cream.

Unique Social Mission
Ben & Jerry's was established on a platform of 'Caring Capitalism,' which reinforced Ben's view that "Business has a responsibility to give back to the community in which it operates."

Ben & Jerry's will continue to support local communities and individuals though its unique 'Social Mission' including in 2006:

• Seed The World tree-growing kits
• Tree planting with Trees for Cities
• National Blood Service campaign
• New PartnerShops - Ben & Jerry's social franchise business, recently singled out by the Department of Trade & Industry in its Matchpoint Case Study series

Further information on all Ben & Jerry's Social Mission initiatives will be sent out on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Marketing
Positioning the brand as the 'antidote to seriousness' and adopting a 'home-fangled' approach to the integrated mix of advertising, PR and the Internet is the key underlying force in Ben & Jerry's marketing strategy. Designed to build on our new market leadership position, activities for 2006 include:

• A £2.5 Million marketing spend to continue support for Frozen Yogurt and new product launches.
• The return of Ben & Jerry's Sundae - a Ben & Jerry's owned festival on Clapham Common which combines family fun, music and ice cream
• A bigger PR push around Free Cone Day which takes place on 18th April
• A PR campaign raising awareness of Climate Change College, a unique partner ship to send young Britons to the Arctic to campaign for action on Climate Change