Minecraft-themed ice cream by Wall’s hits UK supermarkets
Snack giant Wall’s has partnered with to launch a limited-edition ice cream aimed at gaming enthusiasts.
The limited edition ice-cream launched in the UK.
Strategic move
Around 79% of the world’s online population now play online games in some form. Of this group – which includes more than three million people worldwide – 80% regularly consume food and drinks while gaming.
This launch is a strategic move to bring cultural relevance and even more joy and flavour to the freezer aisle. An approach that is being seen across brands in The Magnum Ice Cream Company, the name of the Unilever Ice Cream division due to separate from the business by the end of this year.
Being ‘on trend’ is a major driver for Gen Z consumers, and the new product was developed in response to Minecraft’s surging cultural relevance.
Already the bestselling game in history, Minecraft received a further boost in popularity in March this year with the release of A Minecraft Movie. The film took $300m in its first week at the box office. Since the movie’s release, Minecraft’s player base has grown by 30%, adding to its already 170 million users.
From concept to freezer in four months
“By working with a culturally active IP like Minecraft, our goal was for Wall’s to create the must-try ice cream of the year,” says Leyal Eskin Yilmaz, chief marketing officer for The Magnum Ice Cream Company across the UK & Ireland, Europe and Australia & New Zealand and Head of Global Brands Wall’s, Cornetto and Twister.
In homage to the game, Wall’s new ice cream stick comprises three different coloured ice cream blocks to replicate the layers you dig through in the Minecraft universe and is just 73 calories per stick.
The ice cream launched in the UK market on 1 July, the peak month of Europe’s ice cream season, and is available to buy exclusively in the Morrisons chain of supermarkets.
“We know scarcity and collectability are valued by the gaming community,” says Yilmaz, “and our launch strategy leans into that.” Much like the game, fans will have to hunt it down in-store, adding to a sense of discovery and collectability.