For many years, the Baskin Robbins logo was pink and blue. “BR” and the words “Baskin Robbins” are printed in a blocky, childlike font.
In the new logo, this cheery font has disappeared, replaced by a more fragile version. Brand new comes in brown, pink, brown, blue, pink and white.
In other words, the new Baskin Robbins both grew up. It has been a long time since the transformation.
“When we really think about the journey…it started four years ago,” said Jason Maceda, president of Baskin Robbins. This included “really listening to our guests”.
The Baskin-Robbins leadership team heard that some customers felt so attached to the brand that they linked childhood trips with parents or grandparents. But they also heard there were “some chances to be more relevant,” Maceda said.
It’s important for brands like Baskin-Robbins to gain traction with younger consumers – not just people who remember them from their youth – so they have new customers to come to.
Company leadership deals with feedback in several ways. In late 2018, for example, Baskin Robbins introduced a new layout and design for some stores. These “Moments” stores feature a more modern design, digital menu boards, more ice cream display cases and more extras and offers.
So far, there are about 70 of these stores in total, Maceda said. This is still just a small part of the more than 7,700 Baskin Robbins stores open globally.
Maceda noted that rollout of “Moments Stores” has slowed during the pandemic, adding that he is “excited to get that back up again.”
To help maintain this momentum, Baskin-Robbins hopes to spice up its look, flavors and merchandise.
Bicycles, bucket hats and ice cream
Jerid Grandinetti, Baskin-Robbins’ vice president of marketing and culinary, noted that the new brand builds on the company’s history.
Brothers-in-law Irvin “Irv” Robbins and Burton “Burt” Baskin founded the ice cream company in 1945. But they didn’t call it “Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream” until 1953.
“The original advertising campaign in 1953 was based on circus icons,” Grandiniti said. That campaign used the pink and brown that recreate Baskin Robbins today.
That was also the year Baskin Robbins introduced the idea of 31 flavors, one for each day of the month. Both the old and new logos have a “31” hidden between the letters B and R when the letters are put together.
Today, Baskin Robbins has hundreds of flavors in its portfolio. But there is still room for more.
Part of the update includes three new limited-time flavors: one is a non-dairy mint chocochunk, and the other is completely unwrapped, made with peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, caramel swirls, fudge-covered pretzels, and peanut-coated fudge and caramel. Grandinetti refers to this as a “disassembled candy bar.”
The third flavor, Ube Coconut Swirl, is made with coconut and ube (purple yam commonly used in Filipino desserts) ice cream with swirls of flavor.
Completely unwrapped is the April flavor of the month, while the other two will be available during spring, and can last longer depending on how customers interact.
In addition to the new flavors and new look, the company makes some great gifts, including branded T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and even bikes.
Bikes may seem like an odd choice for an ice cream company. But the brand’s new slogan, “Take a chance,” is all about celebrating the happy little moments. And nothing says “cool” like riding an ice cream themed bike.
“We want to make sure we celebrate with our guests,” Grandinetti said. “What better way to do that than to have some fun items worth seeing,” such as a bike, as well as clothing that can be “a part of their daily lifestyle.”
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