Last night I opened my freezer and saw before me a new flavor of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, “One Cheesecake Brownie.”
Genius!
There are few things more satisfying than holding a pint of B&J in one hand and a spoon in the other. And I was particularly excited about the savory possibilities of “Cheesecake ice cream with cheesecake brownie chunks.” Could this be the Ultimate Ice Cream?
Upon closer inspection of the label, I discovered that this partcular flavor is associated with a partnership between B&J and the ONE Campaign to “Make Poverty History.” This made my spoonful even tastier. Ben and Jerry’s has been known to use their delightful dairy confections as a platform to support and raise awareness about a variety of causes, a delicious combination of awareness and action, in my opinion. What’s more, the company is known for being a leader in socially-minded business practices. Have a look at the social component of their mission statement :
“To operate the company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in society by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally & internationally.”
One bite of One Cheesecake Brownie quickly became one half-pint of One Cheesecake Brownie while my tastebuds screamed for more ice cream. As I dug my spoon deeper, however, I couldn’t help but wonder: is there a more effective way to go about social business?
Some other questions to ponder: How can NPOs and for-profit ventures better partner together? With social media tools dramatically changing the way people network and communicate, is an entirely different paradigm in order? What will be the role of NPO and for-profit partnerships if such a shift occurs?
Stay tuned for more thoughts on social business in the coming weeks!
Hye, Nice to your tremendus work for society,its very much needed to people.doit like a profession.
[...] posts ago, we blogged about the idea of using for-profit business models for social benefits, one example of this being Ben & Jerry’s partnership with the ONE Campaign. While we [...]