For 36 years, ice cream lovers from all over the world have visited Ben & Jerry's shops to grab a free scoop of ice cream. This annual event draws thousands of customers, which makes it an optimal time to release new flavors.
The Vermont-based dessert company has used two different marketing campaigns. In the United Kingdom, Ben & Jerry's released its Greek yogurt line, with the hopes of attracting more health conscious consumers, according to Marketing Week.
Window graphics and television advertisements were used to inform visitors about its raspberry chocolately chunk, strawberry shortcake and vanilla honey caramel flavors — just in time for "Free Cone Day."
In the U.K., the frozen Greek yogurt market grow 15 percent last year. Yet across the pond in the United States, frozen Greek yogurt has been around for two years, so they released another line of ice cream flavors, giving curious tasters the chance to try Hazed & Confused and Salted Caramel Blondie, according to the Star-Ledger.
"The cow-crazy duo, who opened their first shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, in 1978, gives away a free ice cream cone (no purchase necessary) to all comers between noon and 8 p.m. [April 8, 2014]."
This marketing campaign is a bit different from other strategies, but without the use of custom print displays, some customers may have forgotten about "Free Cone Day." It may be a tradition to the ice cream franchise, but not every customer is going to keep tabs on such an event, and Ben & Jerry's knows that.
Without leveraging POP signs or window graphics to remind its customers about the event, as well as the release of new flavors, they could have missed out on a huge opportunity.