The ice cream truck is a beloved American tradition that has delivered frozen treats to neighborhoods nationwide for over a century. Last summer, Good Humor sought to leverage its heritage as the original ice cream truck inventor to 1) drive awareness of the brand and its 100th anniversary, and 2) differentiate itself from the competition to persuade consumers to trade up. We were tapped to create a celebratory PR activation, but the world was changing rapidly. A global pandemic made social gatherings around an ice cream truck impossible. Then, amid the country’s racial reckoning, the racist roots of America’s favorite ice cream truck jingle resurfaced, sparking national media coverage and outrage. “Turkey in the Straw”, originated in 19th century American minstrel shows, and versions of the tune contained racist, offensive lyrics. The brief pivoted quickly to helping the brand turn a potentially damaging moment into an opportunity for good.

We wanted Good Humor to stop this harmful ice cream truck jingle from reaching another generation of children. Our concept: a new jingle from a Black artist that spread joy to ALL neighborhoods.

To make this new jingle resonate culturally, we needed an artist with credibility, so naturally, we called up Wu-Tang founder and musical mastermind, RZA. As a father, groundbreaking composer, and activist, RZA felt compelled to be part of the solution with Good Humor. Our plan was to let this musical genius create a track and then share it nationwide on social and of course, in communities around America. To ensure that the Good Humor jingle lived beyond summer 2020, we agreed to a unique licensing agreement with RZA that allowed ice cream truck drivers to play this song for no cost in perpetuity. This jingle wasn’t a one-off stunt— it was a lasting addition to American culture.

A viral video highlighting the racist origins of “Turkey in the Straw” thrust Good Humor into an urgent cultural reckoning -- in which brands, sports teams, schools and other institutions grappled with their legacies. Good Humor created the first ice cream truck in 1920, sold off its truck business in the 1970s and didn’t create or play “Turkey in the Straw”, but ice cream trucks were still a top association with the brand.

We knew Good Humor had the power to re-tune the ice cream truck jingle for the next generation and its target audience, which included parents, multicultural consumers and ice cream truck drivers, themselves.

Once RZA finalized his composition, we created a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process and an animated music video showcasing the jingle spreading joy to the streets. Finally, we partnered with music box maker Nichols Electronics to include the track on its new models.

Before RZA hit the studio, we had a quick briefing call. It was important that RZA’s creativity was centerstage, but we asked if he could incorporate the nostalgic tones that jingles are known for. He agreed, and in a matter of days he turned around a composition that was the perfect blend of traditional instrumentation with some Wu-Tang flavor.

Beyond the jingle itself, we created 2 shareable pieces of content for social: a music video and a behind-the-scenes video. Just before launch, we added one final detail. Together with RZA’s legal team, we included a unique licensing agreement to make the jingle available to ice cream truck drivers nationwide for free and in perpetuity. The jingle wasn’t just for summer of 2020—it was truly timeless.

In a matter of weeks Good Humor responded to a dark moment in culture with an idea that would spread joy for years to come.

On August 13th, we debuted the Good Humor jingle and the story caught fire. CNN. Vice. Rolling Stone. NPR.

Beyond glowing media coverage, this program revived Good Humor’s business. It brought the brand to the forefront of culture, generating 3B impressions with 100% positive sentiment and 250K social engagements, a 67% search increase, and 150% increase in website visits.

It demonstrated why the brand is meaningfully different from the competition. A 20% increase in retail sales, 25% increase in online sales, and a +10Bps increase in market share proves that this program convinced our target to choose Good Humor. It also changed the ice cream truck forever. Because of the licensing deal that we struck, the manufacturer of 97% of America’s ice cream truck music boxes, announced they were replacing “Turkey in the Straw” with our jingle. Permanently. Now, the Good Humor jingle will spread joy for years to come.