Everybody screams for ice cream
Image: Unilever
Unilever is reading my mind. I woke up today thinking about how we have run out of ice cream at the house, and how I will buy it tonight on my way home. This can often mean a cheeky Cornetto multipack, in our household. So, on Saturday, the multinational put this information into my work email system:
“In the UK, between July and October nine in ten consumers will buy an ice cream. In Italy, which accounts for 28 per cent of Europe’s total ice cream sales, strong volumes this spring have seen the industry predict 2024’s sales increasing by 6%.[a] And in India, which enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine a year,[b] the Economic Times is forecasting 2024’s sales will increase 30-40 per cent above ice cream purchases made in 2023.
“Moreover, the demand for branded handheld ice creams like Cornetto is growing 2.5 times faster than the total branded ice cream market,[c] according to Nielsen. And impulse ice cream purchases are expected to reach $43 billion (€39.7 billion) in 2024.[d]
Cornetto, for its part, has unveiled its new ‘Unwrap It’ summer campaign. The brand has made the ice cream, with its distinctive white logo on a blue background, the star of its campaigns across all markets, Unilever says. The unwrap ritual and irresistibility of the product are core elements too. “This campaign is all about driving anticipation and going back to the foundations of a Cornetto’s desirability, where the product unwraps the key moment and nothing else matters,” Barbara Scala, global brand lead for Wall’s and Cornetto.
New pack designs have also been rolled out across 80 of Cornetto’s SKUs. These feature the product being unwrapped, with the imagery shot in the same style as the campaign. Point-of-sale materials for supermarket freezer cabinets also forcus on the blue and white visual identity of the Cornetto Classico, as well as the wrapping ritual.
Tailoring the brand to the market is also a feature, Scala notes. “We also looked at what an ‘unforgettable Cornetto moment’ could look like to different markets. This has helped ensure the campaign is tailored and locally relevant, and ultimately works to drive consumer engagement.”
“In Europe, for example, the ‘Cornetto Unwrap’ moment signals the start of summer,” she says. “It’s that feeling of walking on the beach to the sea for the first time. So, in markets like Italy and Turkey, our tagline is ‘Unwrap your summer’.
“In Asia, Cornetto is associated with a moment of connection with friends. To reach out to Gen Z consumers, we collaborated with K-pop superstar Cha Eun Wu to launch the campaign with the tagline ‘Once you Unwrap, you can’t go back’.
“In India, another core market, Cornetto is famous for being the original ice cream brand that came in a cone, so in this market we kept our tagline fun and simple. It’s ‘Unwrap the OG’,” Scala adds.
She notes that it’s about futureproofing an ice cream icon. It all feels like the media are sending me to the freezer cabinet, which I am happy to head towards. “Hot Fuzz” was on over the weekend too.
[a] https://www.lagondola.it/en/blog/2024-05-10/sigep-observatory-summer-24-ice-cream-data-and-trends-for-the-season
[b] https://www.power-technology.com/features/featuresolar-power-india-lets-the-sunshine-in/
[c] https://grocerytrader.co.uk/brand-bonanza-big-names-are-driving-ice-cream-growth/
[d] https://www.barry-callebaut.com/en-US/manufacturers/trends-insights/top-ice-cream-trends
- Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
Keep in touch via email: [email protected]
Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine
