Brands and geopolitics: A marriage made in conflict

Ben & Jerry's spat with owner Unilever reflects vast ideological differences in linking brands with activism

- RAJRISHI SINGHAL

Conic ice-cream company Ben & Jerry's (B&J), founded by two hippies based on knowledge gained through a $5-correspondence-course, is taking on the might of its parent, the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever. The issue: Unilever has sacked B&J's chief executive, ostensibly for the ice-cream company's public support for Palestinian refugees, in alleged contravention of their merger agreement of 2000 that B&J's board would retain its independence.

It's a classic David-versus-Goliath spectator sport. But the essence of this spat between the owners of dominant brands—a popular ice-cream maker (this columnist's preferred flavour remains Cherry Garcia, launched in 1985 as homage to Grateful Dead lead guitarist and vocalist Jerry Garcia) and a consumer goods conglomerate—is the influence that geopolitics can have on brands. Or, conversely, how brands influence geopolitics.