An Impactful Moment For Brand Equity

Have you ever heard the saying “it's a time and a place for everything”? Most southern grandmas I know will tell you QUICKLY! That wisdom transfers over in business as well, every decision you make needs to be calculated and calibrated.

Every business owner can take a stance on a plethora of social issues, and community issues, even shedding light on the unknown. We can fund change and also provide the platform.

Brand equity gives the business owner a legitimate voice of leadership.

Brand equity can change your prices, focus, and impact! Some may wonder what is equity, and what does that have to do with my brand?

Equity is value! Your brand holds a community of customers both internal & external. These customers live in the same society as you. With this understanding, comes the notion to understand their problems to find a solution.

You can create & innovate your industry. Many corporations will only focus on changing their industry for profit. Take it a step further! Start focusing on your local community, customer, and environment. By shedding light on their issues you create a trusted brand people can aspire to.

Business leaders are now being called to their full potential. We not only have the ability to fund change, but we can also provide methods to change. Begin asking yourself "how can I help my customer besides providing a product or service?" You will soon notice that there are a plethora of issues that need your valid input!

A Cause Of A Lifetime

Ben & Jerry's took a stance for what they believe in as a corporation. B&J made a robust statement to a very fragile society, this statement came during a public outcry for the murder of George Floyd. This company used its brand equity to give a voice of reasoning to the underrepresented African American communities around the US.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream leveraged its brand equity to show support for the #BLM movement in mid 2020. This support came after the tragic murder of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream's headquarters is located in South Burlington, VT. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield both invested $4K to start their bagel shop. That's right, their original idea was to start a bagel shop that serves ice cream!

Burlington didn't have a market for just an ice cream shop. These two savvy philanthropists decided to enter the available market with soups and bagels to build a customer base for their ice cream.

The two incorporated their business in 1977, and by the end of 1987, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream was worth $30 million. Ben & Jerry had no intentions to enter the sub-premium ice cream market.

Since their start, Ben & Jerry stood up for the overlooked and underrepresented. "We have a progressive, nonpartisan social mission that seeks to meet human needs and eliminate injustices in our local, national, and international communities by integrating these concerns in our day-to-day business activities" as stated on the company website.

The company showed the world in late 2020 that these words still echo the halls in South Burlington. B&J released a very concise article outlining the current social issues, their stance, and support for the #BLM movement. Not only did this corporation release a well written statement, but they also put it on our faces!

The company continued to promote its message with packaging. This image is from the 2018 "Pecan Resist" campaign, in which B&J spoke out about making America more equitable for all during the ongoing mid term elections.

"It's important simply to go on record, and stand to be counted."- Chris Miller; Global Activism Manager at Ben & Jerry's. During his interview with Fortune, he made it clear that Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream was going to stand for social empowerment until its end. Ben & Jerry's also give substantial donations from product sales to various nonprofits to ensure their mobility.

Those wise women knew more than they wanted to say! There is most definitely a time and place for everything! As you grow your brand, decide on what impact you want to have. You can take the main stage like Ben & Jerry's or simply give a few hundred dollars to a nonprofit. Your brand's equity will grow with time and customer loyalty, but besides skill how does your brand solve problems? Use this new equity to define how you can solve your internal and external customers' problems in society.