I advised on brand and marketing for an Ice Cream Parlour once.
A new venture.
Up here in the North East of England.
Advice.
The advice I gave them sticks in my mind.
I remember it even though it was 10 years go.
Because the essence of my advice to them was:
Behave like a fashion brand does.
Fashion and Ice Cream.
I encouraged them to create Limited Edition, seasonal ice cream tubs.
I designed them, actually.
In mini-collections of four.
One range was:
Fire.
Ice.
Water.
Air.
Another was:
Autumn.
Winter
Spring.
Summer.
All very beautiful.
Copy on the bottom of each tub encouraging customers to keep them.
To plant seedlings in them.
To keep trinkets in them.
Egg and Bacon Ice cream.
I also encouraged them to experiment.
Because fashion brands are always experimenting.
So if they had 15 expected ice cream flavours.
Strawberry.
Vanilla.
Mint Choc Chip etc.
I suggested they had one unexpected one.
Egg and Bacon, for example.
No one will buy that.
They said.
That’s not the point.
I said.
Obsessive people.
And obsessive brands.
Do strange things.
And strange is interesting.
I said.
Fashion and Ice Cream.
Fashion design and ice cream retailing are two completely different categories.
If fashion brands look to fashion brands for inspiration then.
OK.
Sparks might fly.
And if ice cream brands look to ice cream brands for inspiration.
Then same again.
Magic might happen.
But when brands look across categories.
With an open mind.
Without fear.
And with an imagination primed to go.
That’s when real magic can happen.
