Page 85 - #54 English
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Even though Ben&Jerry’s is arguably the number one   consumers as possible. It’s not easy to be in the super premium
          super premium ice-cream brand, it is not yet widely recog-  ice-cream market, especially in Thailand where the market is
          nized in Thailand because marketing has not been its main   full of food and dessert trends. Instead of riding along with the
          focus in Asia. With presence in 35 countries around the world,   wave of trends, Ben&Jerry’s looking towards sustainable growth
          Ben&Jerry’s reputation grew from USA to South America and   and long term business by having excellent staff, services, and
          Europe, especially in Denmark, France, and England. Thailand   products. We don’t want ice-cream to be just a fashion product
          is the first big step of Ben&Jerry’s in South East Asia. “Thai   that comes and goes,” Ratchanee emphasized on sustainability.
          consumers nowadays are starting to shift towards premium   We believe Ben&Jerry’s will attract many of its fans in Thailand
          products, including ice-cream products. All of Ben&Jerry’s   to come enjoy their favourite ice-cream experience, and at the
          ice-cream and waffle mix are imported directly from USA and   same time, intrigue new customers to try quality, super premium
          Europe to ensure the quality. The outlet simply makes fresh   ice-cream Ben&Jerry’s has to offer!
          waffle cones, opens the ice-cream container, scoops, and
          serves,” Ratchanee said.

                 In addition to its super premium ice-cream, Ben&Jerry’s
          holds dearly its 2 philosophies; 1. Use quality milk to create
          delicious ice-cream with great taste and texture; 2. Ingredients
          such as sugar, vanilla, cocoa, or banana must be traded fairly
          and qualified as “Fair Trade” product, meaning that farmers and
          producers get fair shares of the profit.

                 Using quality ingredients does not mean that Ben&Jerry’s
          does not have a lot to offer. “Ben&Jerry’s original menus include
          ice-cream, sorbet, and yoghurt menus. However, as we have only
          started in Thailand, we only import Ben&Jerry’s highlighted
          menus which are, of course, the ice-creams. Now there are 12
          flavours to choose with more additions in the future.” Ratchanee
          also emphasizes the importance of standard inspection and staff
          selection. Everything has to be inspected from the parent com-
          pany, including the overall shop design. All Ben&Jerry’s shop
          has to give out the same vibe, but smaller detail and décor may
          differ from location to location to make each location unique. As
          staffs are the heart of the service, Ben&Jerry’s staffs are selected
          from their passion in service and friendliness in order to be most
          welcoming for the customers.

                 Using high quality ingredients, the super premium ice-
          cream comes with a little catch – the high price. As the result,
          marketing is an essential part of the business as Ben&Jerry’s does
          not plan to leave anytime soon. The plan is to continuously pres-
          ent the story behind the quality of the ice-cream alongside the
          story and news of Ben&Jerry’s social responsibilities. Consumers
          will be aware of the brand and learn how Ben&Jerry’s helping
          improve the society, which they too can be a part of just by eat-
          ing ice-cream. That’s the reason why customers are willing to
          pay a little extra to keep the whole system sustainable.
                 “The feedbacks are better than we expected. Social
          network is a tremendous help in raising the brand awareness,
          and Ben&Jerry’s is focusing on digital media marketing because
          our customers can easily catch what we are up to through social
          media.” However, Ratchanee agreed that ice-cream industry is
          very competitive and there are many other brands in the market.
          “We’ll have to wait and see who will have a stronger customer
          base. With so many brands already in the market and more new
          brands joining the race, many expect the ice-cream industry to
          be oversupplied, but Ben&Jerry’s believes this is the opportunity
          to grow together because the presence of Ben&Jerry’s should   Special Thanks
          help increase the consumption. As for the near future, we will be   Ratchanee Pongpeansakul : Ben&Jerry’s
          pushing for a wider marketing strategy in order to reach as many
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