ABOUT

CHALLENGE
The events of summer 2020 sparked a nationwide reckoning on racial injustice, exposing deep-seeded racism throughout American culture—sometimes in the most unexpected places. Even the ice cream truck jingle was revealed to have roots in 19th century racist minstrel shows.

One hundred years after inventing the ice cream truck, Good Humor decided to acknowledge the jingle’s hurtful legacy and stop it from reaching another generation of children.

IDEA
When a viral video resurfaced the racist origins “Turkey in the Straw”—America’s most recognizable ice cream truck jingle—we knew the brand had a responsibility to respond. Although Good Humor had no association with the song, the brand is an industry leader we saw an opportunity to provide a solution that spread joy in a moment when the country needed it most. Our idea was simple: join forces with an iconic Black artist to create a jingle that represents ALL communities.

EXECUTION
So, we turned to a music mastermind with undeniable credibility: Wu-Tang Clan founder and composer RZA. Together, we collaborated on our vision for a new kind of ice cream truck jingle and let RZA work his magic. His creation mashed up the signature tones of ice cream truck music with a little Wu-Tang flavor. Plus, we worked with RZA to make the jingle available for free to ice cream truck drivers in perpetuity, ensuring its melody could spread joy for generations to come. The jingle dropped on RZA’s and Good Humor’s social media, dominating conversation among mainstream media, hip hop fans and ice cream lovers, alike. Our unlikely music collaboration generated over 3 billion impressions, newfound affection for the brand on social, a lift in online sales and headlines in 600+ top publications nationwide.