"It is a peculiar quirk of human nature that whenever certain geopolitical stories appear in the news today, my first thought returns to that happy experience of eating ice cream in Maidan Square years ago."If there is an upside to climate change, could it be that ice cream sales are going up? The average global temperature over the past decade was more than 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Ice cream sales over the same period jumped by around a third, with the global market now worth around $113bn. Sales in the Middle East are growing at more than 4 per cent annually.
Of course, there are various factors behind the soaring sales of these frozen treats. As living standards and disposable incomes have increased in many countries, spending on affordable luxuries has gone up too.
Distribution channels have improved. Health-oriented varieties have emerged (vegan, dairy-free, low-sugar ice cream, anyone?). Premium offerings and unique flavours are vying for our attention.
However, it is still tempting to ponder that one of the benefits of sweltering summer temperatures around the world is the increased excuse we have to cool off with a scoop or two of our favourite gelato.
Particularly on July 20, which is National Ice Cream Day in the United States, a date many brands and retailers in the Gulf have adopted as part of an unofficial World Ice Cream Day.
While we shouldn’t downplay the importance of consuming calorific foods in moderation, it’s undeniable that ice cream has short-term stress-relieving benefits and rich storytelling potential.
Its emotional resonance is immense. The same is true of many humble products we buy. As we look to find material for the brands and corporations we represent, ammunition to make them more authentic, charismatic and relatable, it is worth reflecting that inspiration is often closer to hand than we think.
I remember visiting my grandparents as a child on Sunday afternoons during the summer holidays. When I heard the ice cream van at the bottom of their street, I would beg my grandmother for change to buy myself a vanilla cone with a chocolate flake. Vanilla, strawberry or chocolate. We have the same life-long attachment to flavours as we do to brands of cola and sports teams.
Trips to a seaside village near my family home wouldn’t be complete without visiting Nicholls, a family-run establishment which has been making ice cream on the premises for more than 80 years. My grandparents are long gone but the memory of buying myself an ice cream there with my mum, dad and sister is undimmed.
Equally vivid is the memory of eating ice cream in Maidan Square, the central public square in the heart of Kyiv, as a university graduate thirty years ago, the same spot where hundreds of thousands would protest government corruption in the Euromaidan uprising of 2013-2014.
It is a peculiar quirk of human nature that whenever certain geopolitical stories appear in the news today, my first thought returns to that happy experience of eating ice cream in Maidan Square years ago.
It is easy to understand why occasion-based marketing has become such a well-established tool in the armoury of brands and corporations in the Middle East. Valentine’s Day, April Fool’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, which was a particularly big one this year.
Each in their own way attempts to tap into the emotional circuitry that governs our behaviour and purchasing decisions.
Isn’t it comforting to think that somebody somewhere is easing their troubles with a few scoops of vanilla or Bubblegum Tornado?
So let’s hear it for Ice Cream Day, wherever you may be.
By Stephen Worsley, Regional Managing Director, Golin MENA
