Branding The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience
When Cold Stone Creamery decided to grow their small franchise system they looked to HEASLEY&PARTNERS to help them. That was way back in 1999 and initial meetings were designed to discover the heart of the company, its founders, leaders and team members. We looked at what the company was doing. What it was saying. And what it hoped to become. We talked with the people who made up the Creamery Team. We listened and listened some more. We used our heart and our wisdom of human nature and human needs. From there we developed Foundational Messaging™ that for the first time brought the heart of the company to life in 
words, the first step in developing a new brand image that fit the essence of the Cold Stone experience.
The Problem
Cold Stone’s brand promise back then didn’t even come close to connecting with the experience of their product. In fact their product so out performed their brand message and image that it was clear a complete overhaul would be required. Not so easy, though! In a franchise organization there are a lot more stakeholders to bring along than just the management team. There were franchisees who owned stores they loved and the original brand that defined who they were. We also had a growing consumer base to not only consider, but to connect with. After all, it was our job to make Cold Stone’s brand Genuine, Meaningful and Different, the three characteristics of a great brand.
The Solution
Our tenure with the company lasted for ten years until its acqusition. We worked with Cold Stone and its growing team to take the company from 35 stores to more than 1400 worldwide. We did that through integrating the brand messaging into every aspect of their business. Branding was not just about communications (the heart), it was about operations (the mind), too. Cold Stone became the litmus test for Heart & Mind® Branding on a big scale. It was our goal to take everything the company did and wrap it with the heart which was simply all about “Making people happy.” Doug Ducey, former president and CEO of Cold Stone said “HEASLEY&PARTNERS helped us discover who we were at the most basic level. They helped us develop and train that awareness into a brand that was us, a brand that was engaging and a brand that achieved breakthrough status. They help us keep the message and its delivery fresh yet consistent, year after year, and they gave our brand the depth and the feeling that made it come alive for everyone it touched. Without HEASLEY&PARTNERS, none of that would have been possible.”
Delivered
- Brand Evaluation
- Brand Foundational Messaging and Essence
- Ongoing Advisory Services to Executives and Leadership
- First Local Store Marketing Program
- First Co-op Program
- Award-winning Cold Stone Creamery Videos.
- The Company’s Annual Franchisee Meeting for nearly ten years
- Countless Other Special Events Including Times Square Store Opening
- Evolved Store Design
- Product Launches
- In-store Music Programming
- Acquisition Communications Plan
- Franchisee Communications and Writing
- Much more…