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We all scream for ice cream. But on April 16, no screaming was necessary for fans of Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream juggernaut hosted Free Cone Day at participating locations in 36 countries with an ambitious goal: Dole out a million scoops of ice cream.
Free Cone Day has been an annual tradition since 1979, other than a three-year pandemic hiatus from 2020–2022. And while the occasion might generate buzz for the company, that’s not the explicit goal, Alexa Harrison, Ben & Jerry’s public relations manager, told Marketing Brew. Instead, the giveaway is a way to express gratitude for fans.
“We don’t do any of this for sales,” Harrison said. “Our main goal is just to provide the most fun and memorable experience with them for one day, just to say thank you.”
Beyond counting the number of scoops it gives away, Ben & Jerry’s doesn’t use any metrics to determine the brand impact of Free Cone Day, Harrison said, but it’s clear the annual tradition is a hit. As of 2019, the company was serving an average of about 182,000 pounds of ice cream annually on Free Cone Day, and last year, it served 970,000 free scoops, she said.
Some of the more popular flavors in 2023 were Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, and Churray for Churros, Harrison said. No need to pick just one: On Free Cone Day, people were allowed to get back in line to try different flavors.
Social justice is baked into the fabric of the company; through the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, it provides grants to grassroots organizations fighting for racial justice and social equity across the country.
That ethos is reflected on Free Cone Day, when some locations partner with a local nonprofit that customers have the option of donating to. In New York City, for example, three Ben & Jerry’s locations in Manhattan partnered with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which helps people across the country receive life-saving medications, healthcare, and more.
“There’s nothing that we do at Ben & Jerry’s that’s just about money,” Harrison said.
As of early afternoon on April 16, Harrison was optimistic that Ben & Jerry’s would be able to reach its million-scoop goal. After speaking with Morning Brew, she planned to grab a cone at her local Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop.
“There is so much going on in the world and everyone’s lives,” Harrison said. “It’s a nice way to sort of take a break.”