• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, Yesterday

Friendly’s hopes a celebratory partnership with the Jonas Brothers can help the classic ice cream brand win new fans. The new 20th Anniversary Flavor combines Coffee Cookie Crumble, Chocolate Marshmallow, and Vanilla—one favorite from each brother—in a single 48-oz tub. The promotion aims to tap into millennial nostalgia and revive the emotional connection many consumers once had to Friendly’s restaurants, now owned separately.

Sharon Springborn, senior director of marketing at Dairy Farmers of America, which owns the Friendly’s retail brand, tells CPG Insider how the collaboration came together—and what the company hopes it signals for the brand’s next chapter.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

CPG Insider: Why the Jonas Brothers?

Sharon Springborn: The Jonas Brothers are fans of Friendly’s—they decided on the band name over ice cream at the restaurant while growing up in New Jersey. They also collaborated with the restaurant in 2023. For this, we wanted to focus on flavors—they each chose their favorite—and present Coffee Cookie Crumble, Chocolate Marshmallow, and Vanilla in one package. They all go well with each other.

CPG Insider: To clarify—the 20th anniversary is theirs, not Friendly’s?

Springborn: That’s right. Friendly’s is actually celebrating our 90th anniversary. Friendly’s started in 1935 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The restaurants and retail business split in 2011, and Dean Foods purchased the Friendly’s retail brand in 2016. So now, the Friendly’s restaurants are owned by Brix Holdings, and we’re separate organizations—but we still collaborate. They serve Friendly’s ice cream in the restaurants.

CPG Insider: Other brands—notably category leader Ben & Jerry’s—have been partnering with musicians a long time. Why jump in now, and why this partnership?

Springborn: Friendly’s has a long history and legacy, and it’s a beloved brand in the Northeast. But our consumers are older now. We ove-index with boomers—people who took their kids to Friendly’s restaurants to celebrate a school achievement or a sporting event. The challenge is appealing to millennial and Gen Z consumers.

This is to appeal to the kids—now in that 35-year-old sweet spot—who went to Friendly’s growing up. Those are the people we want to enjoy the brand today, and we want to use pop culture to gain some relevance.

CPG Insider: Did they help create the flavor?

Springborn: Yes. Originally, it was going to be one custom flavor. We didn’t know what that would be—we were asking, “What is a 20th-anniversary flavor?” And then came the idea of the three flavors in one. We asked the Jonas Brothers to pick their favorite Friendly’s flavor—and we committed to putting whatever they picked into the carton. Fortunately, they chose complementary flavors… it all came together into something truly special.

CPG Insider: Why a limited-time flavor instead of adding it permanently?

Springborn: It creates excitement—and a sense of “I need to have it now.” Consumers want to know what’s next. Some limited-time flavors do become everyday flavors, but others don’t translate. We had Nutty Buddy, for example—it started as an LTO, became an everyday flavor, and then failed. Some things are exciting because they’re only available for a short time.

CPG Insider: How seasonal is the ice cream business?

Springborn: Ice cream is pretty much every day, especially for consumers buying it for home consumption. Boomers are eating ice cream for dessert regularly, regardless of season. It doesn’t only need to be summer. Novelties—anything on a stick—are very seasonal. We see huge lifts in summer, then trail off in the off-season.

CPG Insider: How is the Friendly’s brand performing overall?

Springborn: Profitability is a huge consideration. Some volumes are softer now than they have been, as we’ve taken a step back from some trade to make the brand more profitable.

CPG Insider: Beyond sales, how are you measuring the impact of this collab?

Springborn: The number one priority for this promotion is brand equity. It’s about keeping Friendly’s from becoming just another generic ice cream in a carton. Friendly’s is special, and people in the Northeast still believe that. We’re tracking sales—we know what an average limited-time flavor does, and we hope this one outperforms. But we’re also hoping for a halo effect across the business. We’re tracking brand equity over time.

CPG Insider: Where is the brand distributed, and how are you promoting this?

Springborn: Our ice cream cartons are sold exclusively in the Northeast. But we are nationally distributed with cups and ice cream cakes through Walmart and Kroger. For this, we’re continuing to market regionally. The Jonas Brothers created a video that’s been seen by many people on Instagram, and we’re boosting that post in the Northeast. This one had a social-first feel—that’s where we’re concentrating.