Earlier this week, Ben and Jerry's held Free Cone Day, where just as you expected, they handed out free cones of ice cream. I remember going down freshman year and standing in line forever to get my cone. I did the same thing again my sophomore year, but after waiting for so long I decided it wasn't worth the wait. So this year, I stayed true to my statement and didn't go downtown to get one.
I was hanging out in my friend's room when a few of our other friends came in and said that Ben and Jerry's is giving out free ice cream. We told them that we knew it was Free Cone Day, but they responded by telling us there was a truck outside. To our surprise there were a ton of kids swarming the truck as Ben and Jerry's workers handed out free cups of ice cream.
I guess they had been driving around all locations in Vermont handing out free ice cream. I don't remember them doing it previously, but think it is a great marketing strategy. By them taking an active role in their marketing, they reached a lot more of their market than they would have.
This was a great marketing strategy they should do it more often. They turned college kids into little kids again, it reminded me when I was younger chasing the ice cream truck around in my neighborhood. They should do this again on p day, or if they come out with a new flavor, this would be a great way to get the news out.
ReplyDeleteOh wow... that's so awesome! Where was I?!? Like you, I really wanted to go downtown to get a free cone, but I didn't want to have to wait in line forever to get it. But by having the ice cream truck (which I, regretfully, did not see), they were able to reach those people who couldn't, or didn't want to, go downtown. It also shows their dedication to give everyone a free cone, because they are willing to go the extra mile for us--not just for themselves. This helps build a better relationship with their customers and will undoutedly benefit their brand image.
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