We have always been a fan of
Ben and Jerry’s for their irreverent approach to business and their eccentric flavors. Many have tried to imitate the iconic Vermont company’s eclectic flavor combinations, but have flopped. Now Ben and Jerry’s has made their commitment to
corporate social responsibility (CSR) with a pledge to use only fair trade ingredients.
The company is also ahead of the curve with their new Twitter add-on,
Fairtweets. The way it works is that you can use their web API, or add a plug-in to your Chrome or Firefox browser. Any unused characters in your tweet will evangelize a Fair Trade message. Timely because Fair Trade Day is May 14, the application proves how businesses who can master
social media will stay ahead of the game. Everyone has a Facebook Page, LinkedIn Group, but as I have said before, the real action is on
Twitter.
If you have not leveraged Twitter, you are falling behind. Expect more Twitter applications to emerge. In the meantime, Ben and Jerry’s still does a fantastic job proving that good business can also be good for society--and just plain fun.
Pictured: Ben Cohen and Jerry Springfield, the company's founders, discuss Fair Trade at an October 2011 event in S. Burlington, Vermont.
