Client Name

The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC)

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Usman Nazir

SBS Thought Leadership Areas

Behavioural Studies

SBS Thought Leadership Area Justification

This project is part of IBA’s thought leadership areas which span Behavioral Studies. In essence, it’s a question of human behavior: how a certain generational cohort develops perceptions about a brand, how do they interact with social media and content, and how are these perceptions different compared to the generation the brand was previously serving? It is a study where both the methods employed (in-depth interviews and a structured survey that taps into attitudes, associations and occasions of consumption) are behavioral in nature. The results, therefore, are behavioral as well, a repositioning that requires the brand to be seen as aligned with the real behavior of Gen Z instead of the behavior that an older positioning assumes for them. The impact of this project on the Behavioral Studies area is the project’s success in showing that it is possible to achieve long lasting commercial value for a brand without the need for louder messaging by better understanding consumer behavior and attitudes.

Aligned SDGs

GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Aligned SDGs Justification

This project relates most directly to Sustainable Development Goal 8 which is about Decent Work and Economic Growth (United Nations, 2015). The communication plan outlined here is specifically focused on collaborations with local artists, musicians and content creators, through jamming sessions, branded live experiences, and partnerships with creators. As it focuses brand investment into the country’s creative and cultural economy, it is boosting income generation and job creation for young creative talent, which is a small but meaningful step toward achievement of SDG 8.

NDA

No

Abstract

This ELP is focused on creating a three-year communication plan (2026-2028) for Cornetto, a cone ice cream brand in Wall’s Impulse segment of the The Magnum Ice Cream Company in Pakistan. This was a call-to-action to address an important commercial issue: while Cornetto’s nostalgic appeal and its history of young romance remain strong with the product, its audience of young people - which is a group that is maturing into a generation that prizes relatability over aspiration - fail to connect with it anymore. The goal was to pinpoint the cause of this disconnect and provide a contextual roadmap for the next three years that would establish the brand’s cultural relevance again, without throwing away equity earned over the years. The study design used a mixed method approach (secondary and primary). Secondary research involved analysing ten years of Cornetto’s communication, auditing the company’s online and social media presence against its direct and indirect competitors, and also evaluating the digital and social media presence of those from outside the category notable for their ability to communicate with the youth. These findings were then confirmed in primary research comprising of thirty in-depth interviews with members of the target audience, and a survey of over two hundred subjects. The findings provided a comprehensive understanding of the issue and further possible action. Cornetto does well in offline top-of-mind recall (58%), but only about 16% of respondents claim to have actively interacted with the brand online. The consumption of the brand is seen as a social occasion, an everyday occasion, or shared in casual hang out places, instead of as a romantic thing; and overwhelmingly, the audience prefers emotional, story-driven and relatable content as opposed to product based communication (92%). Interviews carried this perspective over, with Gen Z describing togetherness in terms of friendship, rather than love, the stronger association among peers today being music, and Cornetto feeling more nostalgic than present-day. The lessons learned were then translated into the project’s main concept, “Redefining Togetherness for the New Generation”, where Cornetto is not just a catalyst for romantic encounters but also a medium for shared youth moments through the slogan “Cornetto, for the moments that just happen.” The strategy is realized in a roadmap of three phases: Phase 1 re-enters youth culture with a strong focus on relatable storytelling and activation through participation; Phase 2 builds participation through cultural and live experiences through music; Phase 3 owns youth togetherness through emotional storytelling and celebrating community. The report suggests that the digital divide needs to be addressed, Cornetto needs to pivot from product centric to a narrative-based approach and they should invest in participative experiences to meaningfully execute the initiative of connecting with Gen Z.

Document Type

Restricted Access

Document Name for Citation

Experiential Learning Project

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Available for download on Thursday, June 07, 2029

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