How Ben & Jerry’s Turned TikTok Fans Into DoorDash Orders

Key Takeaways

• 4.4x ROAS achieved using TikTok offsite ads
• Half of orders came from first‑time DoorDash customers
• Average order value rose 16% above benchmark
• Campaign leveraged first‑party data for precise audience targeting
• Strategy now expanding to other digital platforms

Summary

Ben & Jerry’s leveraged DoorDash Offsite Ads, powered by Symbiosis, to turn its highly engaged TikTok audience into same‑day delivery orders. By pairing TikTok’s targeting tools with DoorDash’s first‑party retail data, the brand delivered shoppable ads that linked directly to DoorDash landing pages during peak ice‑cream season. The effort generated a 4.4× return on ad spend, a 16% increase in average order value, and 49% of orders from new DoorDash customers. The success is prompting the brand to expand the strategy to other digital channels.

Pulse Analysis

Ben & Jerry’s enjoys a vibrant TikTok community, but the platform’s native format offers no checkout button, leaving a narrow window for impulse purchases. In the ice‑cream market, a fleeting craving can evaporate within minutes, making the lack of a seamless path to purchase a costly missed opportunity. By partnering with performance‑branding agency WITHIN, the brand sought to bridge that gap, turning organic fan content into a direct sales funnel that could capture demand at the exact moment it spikes.

The solution hinged on DoorDash’s Offsite Ads platform, powered by the ad‑tech firm Symbiosis, which DoorDash bought for $175 million in 2025. Using DoorDash’s first‑party retail data, WITHIN built custom and look‑alike audiences on TikTok, targeting users who had recently bought ice cream or shown high intent. Shoppable video ads were served during peak ice‑cream season and National Ice Cream Month, linking directly to tailored DoorDash landing pages. Closed‑loop attribution tied every click to a confirmed order, giving the brand real‑time performance insight across channels.

The campaign delivered a 4.4× return on ad spend, a 16 % lift in average order value, and, notably, 49 % of orders from customers new to DoorDash—an indicator that the ads attracted genuinely incremental demand rather than merely reactivating existing buyers. These metrics surpass industry benchmarks and demonstrate the power of combining social‑media engagement with retail‑media data. For CPG marketers, the case validates offsite retail media as a scalable model for turning community enthusiasm into measurable revenue, and Ben & Jerry’s plans to replicate the approach across additional platforms.