Who could forget three years ago when the face of an androgynous, self-cannibalistic, ice cream creature appeared on computer screens across the nation. The commercial for Little Baby’s Ice Cream left its viewers (all nine million of them) thoroughly disturbed and mortified; I would personally explain my experience watching the jarring ad as if my soul had been inappropriately touched, violated to the very core of my being. The one minute and seven-second ad, directed by Doug Garth Williams, hypnotized its audience with the human-ish figure (affectionately known by the company as Malcom) continually scooping ice cream from its own head into its creepy clown smile, ultimately stimulating intrigue as well as disgust.

As a business student, this leaves me wondering why. What could have possibly possessed the marketing team of this mysterious company to produce an advertisement so haunting? Were their intentions to actually frighten their audience justifiable? And why in the world would they think this would provoke people to jump out of their seats and run to their nearest ice cream provider?

So far in my studies, I have only taken one marketing class and in that introductory class we learned the three basic appeals that businesses use to attract consumers to their product: fear, sex, and humor. However, trying to fit this commercial into one of these categories would be like trying to construct a human being out of ice cream… (They actually covered the actor in marshmallow fluff). So what exactly is this? I personally would like to coin the term the “train wreck” appeal - so wrong you just can’t look away; although, in reality, I don’t know if this is quite the case.

Instead of trying to appeal to its target market in a conventional way, Little Baby’s Ice Cream created an advertisement that visually exemplified who they are and what they believe in as a business. Yes, they wanted to explain their philosophy to the viewers through Malcom, the eerie, genderless ice cream being. Now you’re probably thinking, “What!?! Goodness gracious, there is absolutely nothing translatable about the absurdity of sweet treat cannibalism!” Hang on. One of the three founders of Little Baby’s states that their company, “…messes with people’s expectations and gives them this new, weird, memorable experience.” They continue to explain in an interview with the Philadelphia weekly that they view ice cream as a familiar reference point in people's minds that can be used to reconstruct and broaden horizons. They want to evoke a reaction, give people the opportunity to question the norm, and produce content that opens up doors no one knew even existed. This ranges from creepy commercial to delivering ice cream on a tricycle called the “Flavor Blaster,” to serving flavors like grape grape-nuts and cucumber dill.

Being former musicians, the three founders and owners - Pete Angevine, Jeffrey Ziga and Martin Brown — are more artists than they are ice cream connoisseurs or chefs. They have constructed a brand that rethinks "comfortable" in order to coax their customers into an entirely new experience. They are innovative, experimental, intriguing, unafraid, and ambitious. They are promoting themselves in a way that almost forces consumers to recognize the hidden joy in discomfort and uncharted territory. If you really think about it, that is some pretty quality life advice, Thanks Little Baby’s.

So, it turns out the company behind the disturbing ice cream cannibal is actually an extremely socially responsible, small business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania looking to push people outside of their comfort zones. Although, it so happens that they enjoy doing just that with pizza flavored ice cream and some of the creepiest videos YouTube has to offer.

To read an exclusive interview with Malcom the ice cream creature click the link: http://www.philebrity.com/2012/08/01/qa-malcolm-of-little-babys-video-fame/