Ice cream fight for equality: 'Profits from the sale of Bohemian Raspberry flavour go to the Mercury Foundation,' says the head of the Czech-Slovak ice cream business
You are currently in charge of managing the newly established ice cream business for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but in the past you worked as a brand manager for the Hera and Flora brands. What is the path from margarine to ice cream?
I got into margarines right after university. Although margarines don't exactly sound very sexy, it was a big segment where I gained a lot of experience, for example in research work, and I also learned a lot of brand-marketing skills. After a few years, I was offered to move within Unilever into brand-marketing for ice cream with responsibility for the Mischa and Magnum brands.
Being responsible for the local Misha brand in particular was a big attraction for me - I mean the opportunity to be involved in production, producing TV commercials... On the other hand, the Magnum brand is again global, so it was possible to compare both approaches, local and global. I saw it as a great opportunity. And I liked ice cream so much that after the brand-marketing experience I moved on to other positions, the last three years leading the ice cream business as country leader. Now my responsibilities have newly expanded to include the complete operations and strategic direction in an already independent company.
Before we get closer to the ice cream business, which surprisingly can also be related to human rights issues, I wonder how you have your equality policy set up. I have read that Unilever, from which you have just separated, has already reached the point globally where it has 55% women in management. Is this also the case in the Czech Republic and in the newly formed The Magnum Ice Cream Company?
If I first mention my own new team, it consists of three women and four men, but we have one position still vacant, so we'll see how we balance it.
Even though we are now operating independently for a very short time, I spent many years at Unilever and it has been a great inspiration to me in that respect. Because it gives opportunities to everyone without distinction. It's just a matter of being smart. The working environment is very friendly and without any prejudices. There is a lot of attention to the company culture. For example, the variable work opportunities for mothers after parental leave are great - especially in the form of part-time jobs, which are still quite rare on the Czech labour market. I want to build on Unilever's values and corporate culture at The Magnum Ice Cream Company, and I believe we will succeed with the new team.
While I'm sure both men and women like to eat ice cream, I wonder if you personally, as a senior manager, have come across any stereotypes at work...
I have to admit that especially in sales teams it's mostly men working - so the whole environment is very "male". And not just here internally, but externally as well. I was often automatically thought of as an assistant when I was in sales. At one of our customer's events, I was even sent to get a beer, and I was even teased - because I was a woman and young at that. Nothing like that could happen in our company. Nobody judges people like that in our company.
How did you react?
I was overtaken by my colleagues, who explained to the gentleman that I was not really an assistant. But I took it positively - I asked if others wanted to bring beer... (laughs) Anyway, it is true that many stereotypes are very strongly rooted in Czech society and the environment here is far from being "straightened out". And some people also lack a certain tact. When I was changing jobs, many people asked me calmly when I was going to have children... And they expressed fear that I would end up alone with a cat. Nobody worries about that with men.
If we move a little further away from gender equality to LGBT equality, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, which is also in your portfolio, has a very long history of supporting LGBT+ people. So one can't help but ask: how did anyone think to connect "cold ice cream" with the "gay community"?
Well you see! I never thought of it that way! (Laughs) She's been such a freestyler since the brand's inception, she's not afraid to make controversial moves. It kind of works in its own way and it's really kept that philosophy and it's still going for it. That's what the new flavours are based on, or even the projects that are launched with Ben & Jerry's. And it's not just about LGBT+ support. The primary goal is equality and equal rights for all.
True, I caught a special Justice ReMix'd flavour to support criminal justice reform and the fight against racism, for example . But that's more of a theme for the US market. Are you running any more regional campaigns as well? Perhaps specifically targeted at the Czech market?
If I were to mention the Czech market specifically, we are participating in Prague Pride and this year we are launching a new flavour, Ben & Jerry's Bohemian Raspberry. Apart from tasting great, it is also suitable for vegans and anyone with lactose intolerance because it is made from oat milk. But most importantly, we are launching it to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the premiere of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. We've also connected globally with the Freddie Mercury Foundation to support people living with HIV/AIDS, where we direct our financial contributions.
Do you consider any national specifics when creating campaigns? After all, there are countries where this particular issue may not be received in a completely positive way. After all, as far as I know, in Hungary, for example, Coca-Cola had quite a hit with its rainbow campaign...
I would say that in our country it is universally true that we try to support those brands and ideas that we really believe in. And maybe in some countries it's even more important, even though it might cause a lot more controversy. So it's true that in Poland, for example, the Ben & Jerry's brand with its support for LGBT+ didn't exactly have it easy at first, because Poland is very religiously oriented...
I have to come back to the Mischa brand in terms of local campaigns. Miša is wonderfully gender neutral. Have you thought about using that in advertising as well?
You're right, in the Czech Republic, Míša can be both a girl and a boy. When it comes to popsicles, it's usually "the Misha". But interestingly, in Slovakia, it's "the Misha", because a boy would be "Mišo". And because you can't tell the gender of the teddy bear from the picture on the packaging, we're actually gender neutral by definition. (laughs)
But for me, in the case of Misha, the main thing is his mission - because that's "a little bit better." It's passed down from generation to generation. And it's a little joy in every day that can be a little bit better thanks to Misha... or Misha. But that's what we actually strive for in all the activities we do with our products. After all, the activities to promote all equality that Ben & Jerry's ice cream is classically associated with are proof of that.
