Sunny days boost ice cream sales.
In the UK, between July and October, nine out of ten consumers purchase ice cream. In Italy, which accounts for 28% of Europe’s total ice cream sales, strong spring volumes have led the industry to predict a 6% increase in sales for 2024. Meanwhile, in India, where there are an average of 300 sunny days a year, the Economic Times forecasts a 30–40% increase in ice cream sales for 2024 compared to 2023.
Moreover, the demand for branded handheld ice creams like Cornetto is growing 2.5 times faster than the overall branded ice cream market, according to Nielsen. Impulse ice cream purchases are expected to reach $43 billion (€39.7 billion) in 2024.
How do our ice cream brands ensure they’re unmissable for consumers?
For Cornetto, it’s all about the consumer experience, which is at the heart of its new ‘Unwrap It’ summer campaign.
Cornetto Classico: leveraging an icon
“Cornetto is an ice cream icon that delivers a delicious multisensory experience. Its creamy ice cream crown, crunchy cone, and chocolate tip have been around for more than 60 years,” says Barbara Scala, Global Brand Lead for Wall’s and Cornetto.
Many consumers associate Cornetto with the Cornetto Classico. It’s a global bestseller, and the brand has made the ice cream, with its distinctive white logo on a blue background, the star of its campaigns across all markets.
The unwrapping ritual and the product’s irresistibility 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 says.
Focusing on the product unwrap and reveal on the packaging
New pack designs have been rolled out across 80 of Cornetto’s key 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 leverage the blue and white visual identity of the Cornetto Classico, as well as the wrapping ritual. “That’s a real pivot for the brand,” Barbara acknowledges.
Tailoring Cornetto moments for local markets
“We also looked at what an ‘unforgettable Cornetto moment’ could look like in different markets. This has helped ensure the campaign is tailored and locally relevant, ultimately driving consumer engagement,” Barbara says.
“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 moments of connection with friends. To reach Gen Z consumers, we collaborated with K-pop superstar Cha Eun Woo 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: ‘Unwrap the OG,’” Barbara adds.
Future-proofing Cornetto’s appeal
“In pre-testing, TV commercials for our ‘Cornetto Unwrap’ campaign received the best scores we’ve ever seen for Cornetto in all our key markets: Indonesia, India, Turkey, and Italy. We really believe we’ve stepped up the brand’s appeal,” Barbara says.
“In Q1 of this year, Cornetto has enjoyed single-digit growth and positive volumes. With strong consumer engagement and by making our products truly unmissable, our aim is not only to ensure Cornetto has a good summer – we’re also future-proofing an ice cream icon.”
