Devoted to online marketing, viral marketing, and web marketing

The annual Ben & Jerry's free cone day is upon us, and it made me think about whether offer free cones to the general population is an effective marketing tool for the long term.

Today of course the ice cream shop is getting all sorts of buzz, and people are enjoying a free cone.

One strategy the company has employed this year is the introduction of several new flavors to get people to try something new and also make it somewhat of an event.

In their press release the company did say the company did say that they do it to thank their customers. “Jerry and Ben started their first Free Cone Day as a thank you to their customers,” said Debra Heintz, Retail Operations Director. “It’s cool,” added Heintz with full pun intended, “we get to continue the peace, love and FREE ice cream tradition every year across the world.”

From the point of view of rewarding your customers, this is a good idea. I don't think it does much for gaining new customers, as trying one cone for free probably won't make much difference to those that aren't customers already after 30 years.

Heintz added that the Free Cone Day is much more than offering a free scoop of ice cream, it is also in many of the stores a party and event, as they attempt to get local celebrities to be scoopers, and offer music and other entertainment during the day.

What I like about this is the focus on rewarding their existing customers with a fun day and going out of their way to make it a neighborhood event everybody can participate in. It makes the business seem like it is more than a business, and makes it feel like a neighborhood friend.

From that point of view, it's a great success. After all, marketing isn't always primarily about gaining new customers, but cementing the loyalty of those that faithfully buy our products of services. Creating good will in the communities we serve is a great way to make that happen.