Tasty Tie-Ups

Late last month, the car brand GMC announced it was pairing with L.A. ice cream shop Little Damage for a limited-edition Denali Ultimate Black ice cream to coincide with the launch of its new vehicle, the Yukon Denali Ultimate Black Edition. The news is a reminder of how limited-edition ice cream flavors have become a common means of promotion for licensed properties and brands.

Examples extend across property types:

• Corporate trademarks. GMC isn’t the only car brand involved in this sector; ice cream shop Coolhaus partnered with Ford for a limited-edition Mustang-inspired Orange Fury Ice Cream sandwich. And beer brands also are players. Graeter’s paired with Braxton Brewing Co. for a Stout & Pretzels Ice Cream influenced by Braxton’s Dead Blow Tropical Stout, while Ben & Jerry’s recently tied in with New Belgium Brewing.
• Toys and entertainment properties. Coolhaus tied in with Moose Toys for Bubbleisha’s Poplicious Party ice cream, a tie-in with a limited-edition Shoppie doll available only at Comic-Con. Cold Stone Creamery offered a Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice ice cream cake, as well as ice cream novelties tied to Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. And Ample Hills Creamery in Brooklyn offered two Star Wars flavors, The Light Side and The Dark Side, in collectible pint containers available online only.
• Fashion and fragrance. Magnum has been involved in a number of fashion partnerships, with one example being its Pistachio White Dolce & Gabbana Magnum bar. Australia’s Pidapipo Gelateria paired with fashion etailers Net-a-Porter and Mr. Porter. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream collaborated with Estée Lauder for a Bronze Goddess Sundae flavor that promoted a limited-edition scent.
• Musicians. Ben & Jerry’s recently introduced One Love ice cream with the Bob Marley estate; the Charmery in Baltimore paired with Tedra Wilson, known as TT the Artist, on three new flavors and other frozen treats; and Izzy’s Ice Cream in Minneapolis made Dessa’s Existential Crunch with rapper Dessa.
• Locations and events. Graeter’s Ice Cream created a Chunky Chunky Hippo flavor to promote its hometown Cincinnati Zoo. Salt & Straw teamed with the Portland International Airport and Feast Portland on a flavor called PDX’s Rainwater & Spruce Tips Ice Cream. Coolhaus made an ice cream sandwich called Breeders’ Cup Sweet 16 in conjunction with that event.
• Sports teams. Perry’s Ice Cream launched Sundae at the Ralph in honor of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, available across New York state and Western Pennsylvania.

As shown by these examples—which represent just a small sampling of the total—most such tie-ins are very limited and very regional in scope, with the flavors more likely to be sold or given away at a scoop shop or food truck than at retail, although some can be found online or in local grocery stores. Despite their narrow distribution, however, these made-to-order flavors tend to garner a significant amount of publicity, even as they become ever more frequent.

Of course, limited-edition ice cream tie-ins are not new; Ben & Jerry’s alone has overseen numerous such collaborations for years, and its examples historically stood out in the marketplace for their uniqueness. Over time, however, such ventures have become more and more common and the number of players more numerous, to the point that ice cream shops and local ice cream makers have become go-to promotional partners for all kinds of properties and marketing objectives.