New Product Development and Launch: A Case Study of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry’s
Ice Cream

Abstract
This report and study highlights the process of New Product Development
in the market and issues the company faces while commercializing New Products in its
Product range. As there is a need in the market or there is untapped market, which has to
be exploited by the company, in that case, the company is in a wait to catch the
opportunity. Therefore, in this case, the study will examine the process of the New
Product Launch in the market. Many of the study suggests that most of the company face
failures in New Product launch as they are lacking in any of the processes or the product
may not be fascinating to its customers. Therefore, this report focuses on the internal
processes adopted by the company while introducing new product. Moreover, it also
analyzes the company’s emphasis on the customer demands, needs and the issues of the
company of lack of product awareness. Therefore, the issues related to proper
communication and lack of knowledge and motive while introducing new products have
been examined in this report. Subsequently, the instant case study investigates the
existing innovative tools used by the company in New Product Launch (Talke, Salomo,
Wieringa, Lutz, 2009).
Introduction
Ben and Jerry has been is in the ice cream busies since the early 1970’s.
The company has come with up with its various brands and having a funky logo, the
company has been able to give various messages through the packing (Chen &
Venkatesh, 2013). This case is not only of the New Product Development, but being a
message is derived from the packing of the ice creams, therefore, the concept of theory
has also been evolved in the case study as well. Within the New Product Development,
the company has to design its packing and labeling of the Product as well (Luo, Mallick,
and Schroeder 2010). Ben & Jerry has been mostly the same in terms of the packing,
which is the small box of ice cream is offered mostly. However, the wrapping of the
product is quite interesting of Ben & Jerry. Such as, the cartoonish shape of the person
and famous personalities are publicized. In addition to this, the certain type of message
through the packing and labeling of the product is also publicized, to attract the
customers by not only the taste of the ice cream but also through the emotional pin point
of the customers as well.
On the other hand, Marketing can be defined as the medium of exchange
through which there is a mutual benefit between customers and firms (Kuester and
Sabine 2012). The customers expects to fulfill the needs and demands of the customers,
and on the other hand, the firms expects to capture as much market as it can till it reaches

the stage of monopoly and also enjoy more and more profits (Ming, Ismail & Rasiah,
2011). Subsequently, through the creativeness and innovations, the firm ensures to launch
such product which is according to the expectation of the customers (Li, Chen, and
Shapiro, 2010). Therefore, for the feasibility of the product, the concept of marketing mix
is applied before commercializing the product. It is evident that the company is running
through the existing techniques, but when the company desires to introduce new product
in the market, then the existing techniques may be derived with innovation to launch a
new product (Dalia, 2011).
Furthermore, one of the factors in the marketing mix is the promotion of the
product which means the advertisement and positioning of the product in the minds of its
customers. In this study, the concept of Nudge is notable which is defined as the
application of the behavioral sciences is used in managing the change in organizations. In
actual, the word Nudge is used for to tease anyone to focus on something or make the
persons attentive towards one product. Thus, it can be said that nudge theory gives a
person a sense of inspiration towards a change. Moreover, it is also helpful in
understanding the present emotions of the persons in the environment and makes them
understand towards that a change is needed in the atmosphere and either the existing
techniques should be eradicated or the change should be made in the techniques and also
deliver the message for the change that there would be effective and positive processes
may be applied for the benefit of the general public.
Background
In the first era, Ben and Jerry, an American Brand, was founded by two
childhood friends, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. Both the friends, after completing
their course in manufacturing of ice cream started their own business by their initial
names. Cohen was suffering from anosmia, in which the persons suffers from low sense
of taste and smell, therefore, on the basis of the taste and texture of the ice cream, the
variety in the ice cream was made. In the first phase of the business, both the friends
opened their business in the gas filling station situated at Vermont. In a short span of
time, the company flourished its business and in the year 1983, Ben & Jerry’s was known
as the world’s largest sundae making. In the early 2000, the company’s operations was
sold to the Unilever, however, the name of the founder of the company are still attached
to the brand. There are many competitors who have come as the competitors of Ben and
Jerry’s ice cream business, such as Perry’s Ice cream, Dreyer’s Ice cream, Carvels ice
cream etc. Therefore, the company is running its business in a very harsh environment.
Thus the company not only needs to run its business with the pace of the change but it
also has to bring innovation and creativeness in its product to capture market share (De

Clercq, Thongpapanl, Dimov, 2011). It has been reported recently that the Ben and Jerry
has earned total revenues of approx. 300million USD and being one of the subsidiary in
the Unilever Company, Ben and Jerry have been actively participating in the profits of
the Unilever. On the other hand, the competitors such as Perry’s Ice Cream have been
able to capture the net profits of 125million USD.
Scope:
This case study mainly focuses on the managing the change in the market
while introducing new product as well. This case can also be linked with the corporate
social responsibility as well. The corporate social responsibility is not only limited to any
work done by the organization in its society. But also, the corporate social responsibility
can also be linked with the social awareness made by the company for the betterment of
the society (Bhattacharya, Sen and Korschun 2008). Thus, if there is any awareness
which is needed in the market and unconsciously it is in the minds of the people, but the
same is also much publicly opened in the society, at the same time, the organization
which are serving in society and over all nation as well, can easily spread the word in the
society for the betterment of its people (Wagh & Patil, 2012). The concept of Nudge
theory in the change management is also applicable with this case. The concept of Nudge
states that to nudge people or inspire people by giving a certain message, to make a
positive change in the environment. Thus, it means that there is a change needed in the
environment and through this theory, the change could be effectively implemented
towards a positive statement disseminated in the market (Harty, 2010).
Key Findings
It is very well known to all that the Australian has made a major initiative
in its policies which are quite favorable to some people. However, at the same time, many
of the general public in Australia has shown its strong advancement towards the issue,
and the same is hindering their moral values. The change which the Australian
government has made is that the Australian Government is accordance to their previous
marriage amendments (definitions and religious) act 2017, has prevented the same gender
people to arrange any marital status. Therefore, many of the people living in Australia
were quite shameful and felt awkward for completing their desires. However, the strong
associations between the persons led them to get on the roads and the people demanded
from the government to make the changes in the legislations and laws so that they may be
able to have marriage according to their own choices.