Think your dog deserves dessert? So does Ben & Jerrys.

The venerable Vermont ice cream company said Monday its introducing a line of frozen dog treats, its first foray into the lucrative pet food market. Doggie Desserts, sold in 4-ounce cups, go on sale in U.S. groceries and pet stores later this month.

The treats come in two flavours: pumpkin with cookies and peanut butter with pretzels. Both are made with a base of sunflower butter. Theyre made from the same ingredients Ben & Jerrys uses in its non-dairy human desserts.

Ben & Jerrys is the latest food company to pivot to pets, sensing opportunity as more Americans acquire furry friends. The number of U.S. households with pets rose 6.5% to 84.9 million between 2015 and 2020, according to the American Pet Products Association, a trade group.

General Mills, which makes Cheerios and Haagen-Dazs ice cream, bought the Blue Buffalo pet brand in 2018. Jelly maker J.M. Smucker Co. bought Big Heart Pet Brandswhich makes Meow Mix and Milk Bonein 2015. Three years later, Smucker acquired Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, which makes Nutrish brand pet food. And in April, Nestl bought British natural pet food brand Lilys Kitchen. Nestl has owned the Purina brand since 2001.

Spending on dog treats has ballooned, jumping 44% to $5.5 billion between 2015 and 2020, according to Euromonitor, a data firm. Millennials in particular spend lavishly on their pets and look for pet products with human-grade ingredients, Ben & Jerrys said.

Lindsay Bumps, a global marketing specialist with Ben & Jerrys, said the company had been eyeing the exponential growth in pet spending and started developing its dog treats early last year. The company consulted with a veterinary nutritionist, regulatory consultants and others to make sure the treats are safe and easy to digest, said Bumps, who is also a certified veterinary technician.

The treatsUS$2.99 per cup or $4.99 for fourwill be placed near the popsicles in grocery store frozen food aisles, a few doors down from Ben & Jerrys ice cream.

The pivot to pets doesnt mean Ben & Jerrys is seeing any slowdown on the human side. London-based Unilever, which owns Ben & Jerrys, said in October that its ice cream sales for home consumption grew more than 10% in the most recent quarter. Rattled consumers sought indulgent treats during the pandemic and stocked up on multiple pints during less frequent grocery trips, Bumps said.

This is an opportunity for people to treat their dogs as theyre treating themselves when they grab a pint off the shelf, she said.

THIS IS A MARKETING SUBJECT. CASE STUDY

questions:

1) write a Positioning Statement for Ben & Jerry's Doggie Desserts. Describe at least 2 ways you believe these are correct?

2) List and describe the research design methods used by Ben and Jerry's to successfully launch doggy desserts?

3) What type of strategic directions did Ben and Jerry's used to introduce their doggie desserts to the grocery market industry? Explain?

4) Describe the customer value created by Ben and Jerry's that is growing their market share in the frozen dog treat market explain your reasoning?

5) If you were going to buy doggie desserts for your dog outline the factors affecting your consumer buying decision.