Fixing Ben & Jerry's After the Meltdown

Ben & Jerry’s, the iconic mission-driven ice cream brand, has hit a rocky patch. Co-founder Jerry Greenfield’s public exit after 47 years has raised big questions about what happens when a brand’s activist soul meets corporate strategy. Aaron, Melissa, and Qadira dig into how Unilever can protect Ben & Jerry’s social mission, rebuild trust with customers, and chart a bold path forward without its founding duo steering the ship. From how to handle vocal founders on the outside to doubling down on values inside, this episode is a masterclass in managing founder-brand tension and preserving legacy in the corporate era. 🧠 What We Cover: The roots of Ben & Jerry’s mission-driven identity Why founder departures can shake a brand’s core How Unilever can re-anchor Ben & Jerry’s in its values Balancing global business strategy with social activism Governance, communications, and culture as tools for the fix Turning public tension into brand opportunity 🧰 Key Fixes Discussed: Double down on the mission: Recommit publicly to the values that made the brand unique. Operationalize the values: Embed activism into business strategy, not just storytelling. Create a new “guardian of the brand soul”: A face or team dedicated to carrying the mission forward. Leverage Unilever’s scale: Use Ben & Jerry’s as a flagship for cause-driven campaigns across all brands. Anticipate founder pushback: Build a strong comms plan to stay steady in public discourse. Codify the culture: Make the mission bigger than any one founder. Subscribe for more deep dives where we fix big business problems with fresh perspectives. • Website – www.wefixeditpod.com • Follow us on: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wefixeditpod LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/wefixeditpod YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@WeFixedItPod If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends! Keep listening to find out how we fix companies and put them back better than we found them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices