Name: Ben & Jerry's 的激進主義如何幫助搶奪客戶 | WSJ The Economics of (How Ben & Jerry’s Activism Helps Scoop Up Customers | WSJ The Economics Of)
Uploaded: 2024-08-11T07:34:15.000Z
Duration: 6 min 10 s

情態副詞

Fish food, chunky monkey, these quirky flavors are unmistakably Ben & Jerry's.

魚食、胖猴子，這些古怪的口味都是 Ben & Jerry's 的標誌。

轉承詞

But what really sets the brand apart is its activism, despite being owned by one of the largest food companies in the world.

儘管該品牌由世界上最大的食品公司之一擁有，但其真正與眾不同之處在於它的積極性。

程度副詞

It's been really fascinating to see that Ben & Jerry's has really held their ground.

Ben & Jerry's（本-傑瑞）一直堅守著自己的陣地，這一點著實令人著迷。

Companies that take a stance on social and political issues are becoming more important to consumers.

在社會和政治問題上採取立場的公司對消費者來說越來越重要。

According to research by the polling firm Ipsos, 60% of consumers said they would be more likely to consider a brand that's aligned with their own views.

根據民意調查公司益普索（Ipsos）的研究，60% 的消費者表示，他們更願意考慮與自己觀點一致的品牌。

So how does the company blend activism into its business model?

那麼，該公司是如何將行動主義融入其商業模式的呢？

Ben & Jerry's really takes a fairly liberal stance on a lot of political issues.

Ben & Jerry's 在很多政治問題上的立場都相當自由。

And Ben & Jerry's has not shied away from making those positions very public.

Ben & Jerry's 毫不避諱地將這些立場公之於眾。

The company's social mission is rooted in the values of its two founders and their life experience having grown up in the 1960s.

公司的社會使命源於兩位創始人的價值觀和他們在 20 世紀 60 年代成長的生活經歷。

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded the company in Burlington, Vermont in 1978.

Ben Cohen 和 Jerry Greenfield 於 1978 年在佛蒙特州伯靈頓創立了這家公司。

Two years later, they were selling pints to grocery stores.

兩年後，他們開始向雜貨店出售品脫酒。

And in the late 80s, they began using their ice cream to support social causes.

80 年代末，他們開始利用冰淇淋支持社會事業。

They've spoken out about how they were advised by counterparts in the industry that speaking out and taking these activist positions would hurt their bottom line.

他們直言不諱地講述了業內同行是如何建議他們直言不諱地採取這些激進立場會損害他們的底線的。

This was just not something that businesses were doing.

Ben & Jerry's pushed ahead, and by 1999, it reported $237 million in sales.

Ben & Jerry's 繼續前進，到 1999 年，銷售額已達 2.37 億美元。

Today, the company says the overwhelming majority of its sales comes from selling packaged ice cream in supermarkets and convenience stores.

如今，公司絕大部分銷售額來自在超市和便利店銷售包裝冰淇淋。

What the company has shown over the years is that if your product is delicious, is attractive, you know, in other ways to consumers, you can do these things and still be a successful business.

該公司多年來的經驗表明，如果你的產品美味可口，對消費者有吸引力，你知道，在其他方面，你可以做到這些，而且仍然是一個成功的企業。

Ben & Jerry's centered its business on an idea it calls linked prosperity, which means that as the company profits, its community should too.

Ben & Jerry's將其業務中心定位為 "聯動繁榮"，即在公司獲利的同時，社區也應獲利。

So when Ben & Jerry's needed investors to build its first manufacturing facility in 1984, it offered stock exclusively to Vermont residents first, as a way to give back to the community where it got its start.

是以，1984 年，當 Ben & Jerry's 需要投資者來建造其第一家生產工廠時，它首先向佛蒙特州居民獨家提供股票，以此回饋其起家的社區。

A year later, the Ben & Jerry's Foundation was born.

一年後，Ben & Jerry's 基金會誕生了。

It received 7.5% of the company's annual pre-tax profits to fund community-oriented

它從公司每年的稅前利潤中提取 7.5%，用於資助面向社區的活動。

In 2000, multinational food conglomerate Unilever bought Ben & Jerry's for $326 million.

2000 年，跨國食品集團聯合利華以 3.26 億美元的價格收購了 Ben & Jerry's。

But the ice cream maker negotiated a deal where it could maintain its own independent board of directors.

但這家冰淇淋生產商通過談判達成了一項協議，可以保留自己的獨立董事會。

While Unilever has made statements over the years saying that these are not the issues of the whole company, they have not been able to stop Ben & Jerry's from making statements on social media that get a lot of attention because of how controversial they are.

雖然聯合利華多年來一直髮表聲明，稱這些並非整個公司的問題，但他們無法阻止 Ben & Jerry's 在社交媒體上發表因其爭議性而備受關注的聲明。

After the killing of George Floyd in 2020, many companies started posting on Instagram to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, while Ben & Jerry's released this statement, saying we must dismantle white supremacy.

2020 年喬治-弗洛伊德遇害後，許多公司開始在 Instagram 上發帖表示支持 "黑人生命至上 "運動，而 Ben & Jerry's 則發表了這樣的聲明，稱我們必須瓦解白人至上主義。

They were so much more direct than other companies, and that's where Ben & Jerry's has continued to be different.

他們比其他公司更直接，這也是 Ben & Jerry's 一直與眾不同的地方。

Because they've been doing this for decades, they have that credibility.

因為他們已經做了幾十年，他們有這種信譽。

We need to have people sitting in at their Congress people's offices, at their senators' offices, and telling them, we ain't leaving till you pass a Green New Deal.

我們需要讓人們走進他們的國會議員辦公室、參議員辦公室，告訴他們，在你們通過綠色新政之前，我們是不會離開的。

But these bold statements haven't been without backlash.

但這些大膽的言論並非沒有反響。

For example, in 2021, Ben & Jerry's announced that it would stop selling its products in

例如，2021 年，Ben & Jerry's（本傑瑞）宣佈將停止在以下國家銷售其產品

Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and contested East Jerusalem.

以色列佔領的西岸和有爭議的東耶路撒冷的猶太人定居點。

This decision was criticized by Jewish communities around the world.

這一決定遭到了世界各地猶太社區的責備。

I will give up on my Ben & Jerry and everything that Unilever produces.

我會放棄我的 Ben & Jerry 和聯合利華生產的所有產品。

Two months later, several state funds sold or threatened to sell their investments in

兩個月後，幾家州立基金出售或威脅要出售其在美國的投資。

Unilever, accusing the company of breaking state laws that prohibit the boycott of Israel.

聯合利華，指責該公司違反了禁止抵制以色列的國家法律。

Unilever didn't respond to requests for comment.

At the time, the company declined to discuss the divestments, but reiterated its commitment to Israel.

當時，該公司拒絕討論撤資問題，但重申了對以色列的承諾。

In February, Ben & Jerry's posted this tweet, criticizing President Biden's decision to send U.S. troops to Ukraine.

今年 2 月，Ben & Jerry's 發佈了這條推文，責備拜登總統向烏克蘭派遣美軍的決定。

Unilever's CEO said Ben & Jerry's needs to stay in their lane, basically, and said that they should not speak out about things that they're not experts in.

聯合利華的首席執行官說，基本上，Ben & Jerry's 需要保持自己的風格，並說他們不應該對自己不擅長的事情發表意見。

We don't believe one must be a foreign policy expert to promote the ideals of peace and to oppose armed conflict as a solution to solve problems.

我們並不認為一個人必須是外交政策專家才能倡導和平理想，反對將武裝衝突作為解決問題的辦法。

In addition to its public statements, the company's social justice initiatives are also baked into every aspect of its business model.

除了公開聲明外，公司的社會正義倡議還融入了其商業模式的方方面面。

How the ice cream is made, how it's packaged, and how it's served to consumers.

冰淇淋是如何製作的，如何包裝，以及如何提供給消費者。

For example, the brownies that are used in flavors like Half Baked come from a bakery in New York that hires people who face barriers to employment.

例如，"半生不熟"（Half Baked）等口味中使用的布朗尼蛋糕就來自紐約的一家麵包店，這家麵包店僱用了一些面臨就業障礙的人。

Ben & Jerry's also uses milk and cream from family-owned dairy farms.

Ben & Jerry's 還使用來自家庭式奶牛場的牛奶和奶油。

And all of its flavors are Fairtrade certified, which guarantees that farmers who grow vanilla, cocoa, and coffee beans get a fair price for their harvest.

它的所有口味都獲得了公平貿易認證，這保證了種植香草、可可和咖啡豆的農民的收成能得到公平的價格。

This is a flavor that's going to be supporting the Poor People's Campaign.

這是一種支持 "窮人運動 "的口味。

For special edition flavors, Ben & Jerry's often works with non-profit organizations.

對於特別版口味，Ben & Jerry's 經常與非營利組織合作。

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to be supporting the campaign.

So it's a real influence, not just with consumers, but also by using their profits to give back to these organizations.

是以，這不僅對消費者有真正的影響，還能利用利潤回饋這些組織。

Can I please have a mint chocolate chocolate?

Ben & Jerry's also has about 215 independently owned scoop shops across the U.S.

Ben & Jerry's 在全美還擁有約 215 家獨立經營的勺子店。

As corporate activism becomes more important to consumers, we might see more companies voice their social and political stances online.

隨著企業行動主義對消費者越來越重要，我們可能會看到越來越多的公司在網上表達他們的社會和政治立場。

So does this mean it's the end of an era for Ben & Jerry's?

那麼，這是否意味著 Ben & Jerry's 一個時代的結束？

A spokesman from the company says, Ben & Jerry's acts on values it cares about, but trying to go at it solo was never the intention.

公司發言人說，Ben & Jerry's（本-傑瑞）的行為是基於它所關心的價值觀，但試圖單打獨鬥絕非本意。

 For more information visit www.benandjerrys.com

欲瞭解更多資訊，請訪問 www.benandjerrys.com