Should Ben & Jerry’s Rename Ice Cream Flavor ‘Hazed & Confused’ ?

Ben & Jerry’s has a history of “interesting” – to say the least – names for flavors in which it has had to express regret for. In 2012, the company issued an apology for “Taste the Lin-Sanity” – a flavor that contained a popular Asian fruit (lychee), pieces of fortune cookie, and honey – named after an Asian-American NBA player, Jeremy Lin. The flavor became a limited edition after talks of the name being culturally insensitive were voiced. Prior to this, Ben & Jerry’s released a flavor called “Schweddy Balls” after a “Saturday Night Live” skit featuring fudge-covered rum balls. The name was so lewd that some grocery stores refused to stock it.

This year, a new flavor containing chocolate and hazelnut ice creams and a hazelnut fudge core named Hazed & Confused was released. Lianne and Brian Kowiak, whose son died during a fraternity hazing ritual in 2008, was the first to express their dismay to Ben & Jerry’s. After three more complaints regarding the insensitivity toward hazing were received, Spokesperson Sean Greenwood reported that the possibility of a name change is on the agenda at the next global leadership meeting in October.

Greenwood said, “While the company has a history of giving its products cheeky names, this one was never intended to have any association with hazing. The ice cream contains hazelnuts, so it was always meant as a pop culture reference to ‘Dazed and Confused,’ the Led Zeppelin song.”

In a statement emailed to HuffPost, the company said, “Ben & Jerry’s believes that hazing and bullying have no place in our society. No individual, group, or entity should benefit by marginalizing others.”

This is not the first time and as history continues to repeat itself, albeit not exactly the same, it does not look like it will be the last time that Ben & Jerry’s will be called-out for their impudent naming style. While Ben & Jerry’s apologizes for their naming convention oversight, their marketing and advertising campaign certainly brings awareness to their branding. But, is this right? What do you think?

Bradford, H. (2014 September 19). Ben & Jerry’s may rename ‘Hazed & Confused’ ice cream after complaints. The Huffington Post. Retrieved on September 21, 2014 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/19/hazed-and-confused_n_5845650.html