Ice Cream Man (business) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Ice Cream Man is a business entity whose stated goal is to give away 500,000 free units of ice cream throughout the United States. Since its founding in 2004, Ice Cream Man has given away approximately 300,000 units of ice cream. In the process the organization has become a fixture at music festivals across the United States. As of November 2010, Ice Cream Man has over 100 volunteers committed to the idea of free ice cream for all.

History

Ice Cream Man was founded by Matt Allen (aka Ice Cream Man), a resident of Long Beach, California

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

. In the summer of 2004 Allen purchased a 1969 Chevrolet Step-Van in order to work as an ice cream man in Ashland, Oregon

Ashland, Oregon

Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...

. At the end of the summer he decided to give away the leftover inventory to Ashland residents in the venue of an ice cream social at Garfield Park. The novelty of free ice cream garnered the attention of local news media and inspired Allen to base a startup project on the idea.

Ice Cream Man gained major media exposure when it was granted backstage access at the main stage of Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...

2006. Soon after, Ice Cream Man began receiving interview requests and attention from future sponsors. Since 2006, Ice Cream Man has been a backstage fixture at almost every US rock music festival including Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza

, Sasquatch! Music Festival

Sasquatch! Music Festival

Sasquatch! Music Festival is a music festival held annually at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. It is presented by the House of Blues. There is an emphasis on indie rock bands and singer-songwriters, although there are also alternative rock, hip hop and comedy acts...

, Bonaroo, Pitchfork Music Festival

Pitchfork Music Festival

The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media and held in Union Park in Chicago, IL. The festival, which is normally held over three days in July, focuses primarily on artists and bands from alternative rock, rap & hip-hop, electronica, and dance...

, ATP, Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits is an American public television music program recorded live in Austin, Texas by Public Broadcasting Service Public television member station KLRU, and broadcast on many PBS stations around the United States...

, SXSW, and Outside Lands Music Festival.

Business model

Ice Cream Man’s business model is based on mutual exposure and advertisement. In exchange for funding of its operations, Ice Cream Man attempts to increase word-of-mouth promotion and build a popular association between its sponsors, free ice cream and the experience of music events. In this way, Allen states, Ice Cream Man is trying to establish a foothold in what he believes is a growing experience economy. The foremost example of Ice Cream Man’s business model is its use of two Yaris

Toyota Vitz

The Toyota Vitz is a line of three- and five-door hatchback subcompact cars produced since 1998 by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Now in its third generation, the name "Toyota Vitz" has been used consistently in Japan, with most international markets receiving the same vehicle under...

hatchbacks from Toyota as ice cream delivery vehicles for the 2009 summer season.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.