New Ben & Jerry’s campaign urges everyone to level up their activism

Make Some Motherchunkin’ Change

In its first wide-scale campaign in over ten years, Ben & Jerry’s has launched its new promotion ‘Make Some Motherchunkin’ Change’.

Created in collaboration with the agency DCX Growth Accelerator, the campaign is set to run online and across social platforms in the US, as well as select global markets through 2024.

This new promotion reasserts the brand’s ongoing venture into brand activism, even when most other brands have purposely strayed from being outspoken to avoid backlash from consumers.

With it comes a 90-second video titled ‘Progress Comes In Many Flavors’, featuring photos of activists who’ve made impactful statements at protests around the world.

They include: people protesting for gun law reform in bullet proof vests, groups of people kayaking out to an oil rig, and others taking to the street to raise awareness about the climate crisis.

Throughout the video consumers are urged to get loud about causes that are close to their hearts in whatever way is accessible and most enjoyable for them ‘without getting arrested’, of course.

In a statement, the brand’s global head of integrated marketing, Jay Curley, said:

‘We want people to know that their passions and creativity can create positive change in their communities. As a society, we’re facing big challenges, and we’re inspired by people who see it as an opportunity to create community, build power, and work for collective change.’

@benandjerrys Join the fight for a sweeter world! ✊🏿 Harness your passion and creativity to make your voice heard for what you believe in — and feed your appetite for justice. Learn more and MAKE SOME MOTHERCHUNKIN’ CHANGE at the link in our bio! #benandjerrys #motherchunkinchange #justice #activism ♬ original sound – benandjerrys

Change by any means necessary

Ben & Jerry’s has operated under Unilever since the year 2000, when it was bought for $326 million.

Before sealing the deal, Ben & Jerry’s stated one condition: it would have its own independent board, so that it could ‘continue taking openly progressive stances on social and political issues.’

Ever since, the company has two separate teams for marketing and activism, which collaborate once a week. The activism team presents important issues and their strategy for tackling it, then the marketing team works to spread the word.

This has caused friction with its owner Unilever, which has recently decided to ‘spin off’ its ice-cream brands by creating a separate division for them. This will release Unilever’s commitment and allow greater investments from companies with shared values to Ben & Jerry’s.

In the end, this corporate distance will likely be a win-win for everyone involved. Things may be changing behind the scenes, but one thing is for sure, Ben & Jerry’s is unlikely to abandon its commitment to social justice anytime soon.