Haagen-Dazs vs. Ben & Jerry's: Battle of the Brands

Posted Apr 13th 2007 11:40AM by Sarah Gilbert
Filed under: Products and Services, Consumer Experience, Unilever ADR (UL), Battle of the Brands

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

If you like ice cream, you're probably already in one camp or the other. Few people claim to love Ben & Jerry's peacenik-y, tied-up-and-twisted flavors equally as well as the upper-crust uber-richness of Haagen-Dazs' highly-crafted premium varieties.

Oddly, though both have such strong brand identity and have created corporate cultures that seem pure and fiercely independent, both are tiny units of much larger (and unsexy) food companies. Ben & Jerry's was acquired by Unilever plc (ADR) (NYSE: UL) in 2000, while Haagen-Dazs was acquired by Pillsbury in 1983, now a unit of the quite pedantic General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS).

How is it that two ice cream companies that share so many similarities -- the same size and shape package, the same commitment to quality of ingredients, the same fierce attention to (and careful culling of) flavor rosters, the same expectations (that you'll eat a good portion of the pint in one sitting, probably alone), the same prices -- be so different? To an outsider who understood nothing of the singular pleasure of dipping a spoon into a fresh-from-the-freezer pint of a favorite flavor, well, you'd think the brands were interchangeable; that a given consumer would choose one over the other based only on the weekly specials at one's neighborhood grocery store. Au contraire, or as they say in Vermont, no way man.

I want to say that it's all about the relative brands' aura; are you the sort who shops at a co-op and attends political rallies, or are you more likely to be found driving your Mercedes to the boutique gourmet market -- hurry! -- you've got tickets to the ballet later? Sure, the kid with the "make love not war" sign is eating Cherry Garcia and the woman in Prada heels is eating Haagen-Dazs sorbet. But that's not really it, I don't think. After all, it's telling that both brands are ubiquitous in the corner convenience stores in my mostly working-class neighborhood.

It's all about the taste. How do you like your ice cream? I like a smooth, rich, gelato-like ice cream, where each mouthful is lusciously filling and even my spoon seems elegant, just because it's touching the creamy stuff. My favorite flavor? Haagen-Dazs coffee. I have been known to purchase and eat a pint of the stuff in the space of a few hours.

Ben & Jerry's is an entirely different experience, what with its widely variant-sized mix-ins (I've found chunks of Heath Bar bigger than my spoon, for instance), its focus on wild combinations with passionately silly names and themes. Heck, Ben & Jerry's invented the concept of using hippie celebrities to sell its brands, and paradoxically, it worked. If you like a mouthful of brownie-banana-cherry-caramel-fudge cow swirl, well, Ben & Jerry's is the brand for you.

I certainly won't turn down a pint of Ben & Jerry's if it shows up in my freezer. But Haagen-Dazs, despite the formidable conceit of its name (the ice cream's inventor, a guy named "Reuben" from the Bronx, made up the words), is perfection in a little round carton. Its milk may not come from cute black-and-white cows in a pasture outside of Burlington, but boy do those Yankees mix it up right.

Be sure to vote in our poll for Ben & Jerry's or Haagen-Dazs as your preferred brand, and let us know why you love it in the comments. Results of all Battle of the Brands match-ups coming soon.

Tags: Ben and Jerry's, Cherry Garcia, corporate culture, CorporateCulture, General Mills, GIS, Haagen-Dazs, ice cream, IceCream, Pillsbury, premium ice cream, sorbet, UL, Unilever

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-24-2008 @ 1:29PM

AMBER said...

I agree with Hank...B&J openly supported a cop-killer & that is such a turn-off for me. I used to buy their pints all the time but now that I know this, i am absolutely disgusted.

5-04-2008 @ 3:26PM

sharon bannon said...

I'm changing to Ben & Jerry's because of they care about the comfort of the cows.

10-26-2008 @ 12:22AM

thelastaurora said...

ben and jerry is the best. it taste sweet and nice (except for cherry garcia, weird taste), got innovative flavours and creative combinations. not to mention a bit cheaper than Haagen dazs. haagan dazs is not only a mouthful, it is boring and simple, in simple flavours like vanilla only. it is also bad tasting (green tea is bitter!), except for the orange sherbet, which is good. if i want non sugary stuff i would swear off ice cream.as it is so expensive in singapore, i only buy B&J on offers.

4-13-2007 @ 12:33PM

don andretta said...

since ben&jerry's was sold the ice cream does not have the butter fat it use to. it use to be so creamy, no more, i will no longer buy it.

4-13-2007 @ 1:28PM

hanne409 said...

While I love and enjoy B&J's I also love the flavor of Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice-cream. However, I am a (slightly) bigger fan of Starbucks Coffee Java Chip ice-cream! It's even better with homemade chocolate chip cookies thrown into the mix...Oh my!!!

4-13-2007 @ 5:50PM

Hank said...

I can't get past the fact that the founder support Mumia Abu Jamal. What's their next flavor, Cop Killer Crunch?

4-14-2007 @ 11:51AM

Rob said...

I have been a tremendous fan of Haagen-Dazs since the late 1970's when they first introduced their dipping shops. Even though it is no longer a family business, Reuben Mattus was an ice cream genius and made the creamiest, best-tasting mass produced ice cream, and the present owners have held true to his original recipes. The biggest problem with Haagen-Dazs, is the the parent company is too stupid to exploit the brand further and open more cafes and shops in the U.S.-other than a mall, it is very hard to find one.
Ben & Jerry's is my #1A favorite brand of ice cream, very good as well, just some of the flavors are crammed with too much stuff, and not enough ice cream. The brands can peacefully co-exist because they are BOTH wonderful...just wish they both had more dip shops, as Cold Stone Creamery is the MOST-OVERATED crap on earth, but the have the easiest ice cream shops to find.
I suggest Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's merge to become Haagen-BJ's(LOL), and open thousands of dip shops with over 100 flavors offered per day, everything from Vanilla to Steves Jobs-IPod coffee chunk chip!!

4-14-2007 @ 6:05PM

Kasper1014 said...

I think Marble Slab Creamery is the BEST ice cream there is!!! And I have to agree with the poster above that says Stonecold Creamery is crap!!!! As it is!!!!

4-15-2007 @ 12:04PM

Carol said...

Haagen Dazs hands down! There is too much to chew with Ben and Jerry's.

4-15-2007 @ 6:11PM

Carrie said...

Personally, I think Haagen-Dazs is a great way to go. Their chocolate is so rich and yummy that I don't think that the container makes it back to the freezer for a second round... ever. And, their low-fat options are great too (love the blueberry cheesecake!)

My favorite as far as mentioning Cold Stone, etc. would be a luscious combination of dinner and dessert only found in Wilmington, NC. Stickey Fingers for supper (best ribs and pulled pork I've ever had, and the sauce is available in stores which means I can try to make my bbq as good as theirs) followed by dessert at Kohl's which serves frozen custard. Yes, ultra rich, and it just screams "wow.. it must be a fat chick posting" but it's just delicious. If I could find a man who enjoyed indulging like that with me I might be happily married instead of just married.

You can order Sticky Fingers food online and have it shipped to you at http://www.stickyfingersonline.com/
and they've got locations in SC, GA, and FL now too. As far as Kohls, there's only one. Their website is http://www.kohls-frozencustard.com/

Yum. Too bad I live in GA not NC anymore... and at least I have access to Haagen-Dazs.

4-16-2007 @ 12:38AM

Tracey said...

Haagen Dazs Rum & Rasin is the best :-)

4-17-2007 @ 6:14PM

Cheddar said...

Ben and Jerry's by a long shot! To all those who posted about too many "toppings" in the ice cream, well, no one says you have to order those flavors! Ben and Jerry's offers old fashioned plain flavors as well--in fact, their vanilla is simply delightful and the only ice cream that should ever be served with apple pie. You can't beat Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz for a creamy pick-me-up, and who can resist the chocolate dinosaurs in Fossil Fuel! Let the debate rage on... :)

4-23-2007 @ 9:42PM

cathy said...

First of all the writer should know that Haagen Dazs, although remains true to it's original recipe and standards, is not part of the General Mills Co, but part of the Dreyers Family of Brands (Edys, Starbucks, Dibs, Fruit Bars, etc etc)...which is part of the Nestle Family...talk about brand ubiquity! they are ice cream and that's all they do is ice cream...
Haagen Dazs RULES!!!

4-21-2007 @ 12:09AM

Tee=ball said...

B & J's Chunky Monkey is good but I have 2 pick out some of the chocolate pieces....U all 4got about the TOP ice cream.....BLUE BELL!!!!

6-24-2007 @ 8:54PM

pelly said...

Actually, Haagen-Dazs is owned by General Mills. It is, however, liscenced under Dreyers (under Nestle) solely in the United States.

I work at HD (International) and the best part of it is that we get all the free ice cream we want:)