Ben & Jerry’s Hubby Hubby ice cream celebrates gay marriage

On the first of this month, gay and lesbian couples across the state of Vermont gained the legal right of marriage. By way of celebration, iconic Vermont ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has renamed its well-known Chubby Hubby ice cream Hubby Hubby. The peanut butter cookie dough (with fudge and pretzels) ice cream will be served in Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops throughout this month, a gesture that sees Ben & Jerry’s partner with marriage equality group Freedom to Marry. The two partners are also publicly supporting the first gay and lesbian marriages to happen in the state, and aiming to encourage other US states to follow in the footsteps of Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and Maine, down the aisle to marriage equality. Although Hubby Hubby will only be served in Vermont, Freedom to Marry’s website urges citizens to “bring Hubby Hubby to your state”, indicating that Ben & Jerry’s may have plans to do the same in other states with successful gay marriage campaigns. Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry’s is buzzing up the message via its Facebook fan page, and the renamed flavour is a trending topic on Twitter. The branding exercise has even gone so far as to wallpaper Freedom to Marry’s website with Ben & Jerry’s trademark cartoon clouds. The company is no stranger to big social gestures. Their employee-led Ben & Jerry’s Foundation donated over USD 1.9 million in 2008 to “support the founding values of the company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support Vermont communities.” It’s no surprise, therefore, given their penchant for left-leaning publicity, that they are making themselves part of this historic occasion in Vermont. It could help their bottom line, too. As our ‘hubby’ trendwatching.com noted in its briefing on Pink Profits, more and more companies are discovering the brand loyalty and profits to be gained by appealing to the relatively high-earning GLBT market. (Related: Spanish wine for gay men.)