Spike Lee Directing
Unprecedented Ben & Jerry's Commercial
"We were looking for the right match in terms of someone who was multitalented and visionary. Someone who understood that you can make a great product, create progressive social momentum and have fun doing it. That's not easy, but we have the man to do it," said Ben Cohen, company chairman and co-founder.
"After looking at dozens of tapes, we got to Spike's and there was no contest," said Holly Alves, Ben & Jerry's marketing director. "Except, there was that one tape from Holstein, Hereford, Guernsey & Shapiro that we had to take a second look at."
The commercials get across the Vermont-based company's new line-up of Smooth flavors and its progressive social values that have roots in the sixties. Ben & Jerry's and Spike Lee are working with eight multi-talented artist-activists who represent positive role models for social change.
The entire complement of vanilla, chocolate and coffee improvisations are portrayed by Carlos Santana, Buffy Sainte- Marie, Bobby Seale, Daniel Berrigan, Dolores Huerta, Pete Seeger, Michelle Shocked and Spike Lee. The flavors are Aztec Harvests® Coffee, Double Chocolate Fudge Swirl, Vanilla Bean, Mocha Fudge, Deep Dark Chocolate, White Russian TM, Vanilla, Vanilla Caramel Fudge.
"It's not just a black and white world," said Jerry Greenfield, company vice-chairman and co-founder, "it's shades of chocolate, coffee and vanilla."