When local food influencer Armani Thao asked his nephew Landon to help create a new ice cream sundae, Landon had one response — “Ooooh yeah.”
That joyful phrase from Landon — who is on the autism spectrum — became the namesake of a new Ben & Jerry’s sundae launched in partnership with Thao, Boston University PRLab and the nonprofit Autism Eats. The collaboration, launched April 16, raises money and awareness for autism-friendly dining during Autism Awareness Month.
“I decided to be a part of the collaboration with Ben & Jerry’s because I love what they stand for as a company and, of course, I love ice cream,” Thao wrote in a statement to The Daily Free Press. “I love the work that they do with giving back to communities and charities.”
The sundae, “Ooooh Yeah by Landon,” features a waffle cone base, a scoop of “Marshmallow Sky” and “UltraViolet” ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce and blue sprinkles. Its colors echo the “Light It Up Blue” campaign for autism awareness, said Luiza Loyo, a BU graduate student and PRLab account executive.
Twenty-five percent of proceeds from each sundae will go to Autism Eats until May 16, a nonprofit that organizes judgment-free dining experiences for families with children on the autism spectrum.
The idea began during a Zoom brainstorming session between Thao and students at PRLab, BU’s student-run PR agency that has partnered with Ben & Jerry’s for more than 10 years, said KimVy Nguyen, Ben & Jerry’s director of catering and events.
From there, the team mapped out the launch plan and discussed creating a new ice cream flavor, posting social content and building a donation component, Nguyen said.
“During that Zoom meeting, we’re like, let’s just do it all,” Nguyen said. “This team is more efficient … They have brought skills that kind of help pivot in a fast paced turnaround to get this out.”
Each semester, Ben and Jerry’s and BU PRLab partners with a local influencer who selects a cause close to their heart, Nguyen said. Thao chose Autism Eats, where he is the head of marketing.
“We got really lucky with the influencer collaboration,” Loyo said. “As soon as we sent out the request, [Thao] immediately jumped to the opportunity to work with Ben & Jerry’s.”
Loyo said Thao saw the campaign as a way to unite his passion for content creation with his commitment to Autism Eats. With April being Autism Awareness month, it was “perfect timing,” she said.
“It’s been an absolute joy working with him,” Loyo said. “He’s very passionate about his nonprofit work and his involvement with Autism Eats.”
The sundae was served at an Autism Eats dinner at John Brewer’s Tavern in Waltham, where families gathered to enjoy an inclusive, sensory-considerate dining experience, Loyo said.
Lenard Zohn, founder of Autism Eats, said Ben & Jerry’s offered to serve ice cream at the event and donate a portion of proceeds to the nonprofit.
“How could we say no?” he said. “We couldn’t say yes fast enough.”
Zohn said Ben & Jerry’s embodies a lot of their core values — fostering awareness, promoting understanding and building an inclusive, welcoming community.
“They have a tremendous ethic of wanting to be involved and give back to the community,” he said.
The sundae’s launch sparked excitement across social media, Loyo said, including an unprompted Instagram post from Boston foodie influencers Two Taste Buddiez.
“It was an organic, earned mention that was really exciting,” she said. “Two Taste Buddies is a huge, huge account in the food space in Boston.”
Loyo said they have also been receiving positive comments.
“People seem to really enjoy the fact that this collaboration is happening, especially to celebrate Autism Awareness Month,” she said.
As the campaign continues, the team plans to track social media engagement and sales to measure success, Loyo said.
“Hopefully, we get to raise a lot of money to give to Autism Eats,” she said. “That would definitely be a symbol of success.”
Looking ahead, Zohn said he hopes the impact will extend beyond this one collaboration.
“This first collaboration went so well that we’re going to be continuing to work together,” Zohn said. “Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to sit down and define exactly what that looks like, but this is definitely the first of many collaborations.”
Nguyen said the “blueprint” is in place — and Ben & Jerry’s is eager to keep the partnership with PRLab and Autism Eats going.
“We hope that we can just replicate the blueprint and maybe make it easier and better next year,” she said. “Using the right leaders, like influencers, we can make a positive change in the social world … The influence can be a huge voice for the ones who don’t have a voice.”
For Loyo, the project was a powerful first experience in real-world campaign execution.
“I feel very fortunate that I got to do this as one of my first real PR agency experiences,” she said. “I fear for the future, because I feel like it will never be this easy and this delightful.”
Collaborating with his nephew on the sundae’s design added a personal and heartfelt layer to the project for Thao.
“We’ve had an incredible relationship before this, but it certainly was the cherry on top being able to work with him on a campaign like this,” Thao wrote. “If this campaign sparks new conversations, encourages other businesses to get involved or even just helps one family feel seen and supported, that would be a meaningful win. It’s about turning awareness into action and making inclusion the norm, not the exception.”
