Ben and Jerry's. You can't sell your values.
Unilever bought Ben and Jerry's for a third of a billion dollars and grew it six times over. Then the co-founder resigned, saying the soul was gone.
THE GIST ON BEN AND JERRY'S: "The Uncomfortable Truth"
What happened when Unilever bought Ben and Jerry's?
Twenty-five years ago, Ben and Jerry's sold to Unilever with one condition: its mission of being a business for social good had to be written into the contract. That had never been done before.
Unilever grew the brand six times over, making it one of the biggest ice cream brands on the planet. Last year, the co-founder resigned, saying the soul was gone.
Why do the two companies pull in different directions?
Unilever's sole purpose is to sell product, and it is a master of it. Ben and Jerry's exists to help social causes, and it sells ice cream to facilitate that.
Put those two in the same room and one comes out on top. Normally it's the one that makes the most profit. It has nothing to do with malice or greed. It's to do with what customers are actually buying.
What is the uncomfortable truth?
Over 25 years, the purpose was slowly stripped away from the brand, and the business didn't suffer. It grew.
So the purpose mattered more to the people who built the business than to the people buying it. The only way to truly protect your purpose is to never sell it to anyone. The moment you do, the market decides whether it matters.
Does a brand's purpose make you buy?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
What condition did Ben and Jerry's set when it sold to Unilever?
That its mission of being a business for social good be written into the contract, which had never been done before.
Did the business suffer when the purpose faded?
No. It grew, which suggests the purpose mattered more to the people who built it than to the people buying it.
How do you protect a purpose?
By never selling it to anyone. Once you do, the market decides whether it matters.
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