Unilever has enlisted Emotive to elevate the Weis ice cream brand to summer cult icon status, starting with its first above-the-line campaign since 2018. The win marks the Sydney-based creative agency’s first foray into the $3 billion annual ice cream category.
Scott Mingl, Unilever’s head of ice cream for Australia and New Zealand, told Mediaweek the appointment was part of a renewed interest and investment from Unilever. Said Mingl, “What we’re trying to do is bring Weis back as a bigger bet for the Unilever ice cream business over the next couple of years.”
The strategy aims to capture some “brand love” for the Weis brand, which Emotive chief executive and founder Simon Joyce said “hasn’t had the support it’s needed for some time.”
The Weis account, acquired by Unilever in 2016, was sought after, “because it fit a niche of the market which we weren’t actually playing in,” said Mingl.
“Part of that acquisitions was the factory up in Toowoomba, and then over the next few years it ended up moving it into our main factory down at Minto.”
Juliette Fleming, brand manager on Unilever’s ice cream team, said, “We’re hoping to build that strong emotional connection with the brand again through bringing back the true ‘Aussie-isms’ of Weis, which have been lost over the last few years.”
The first stage of the strategy kicks off with the Have a Bar of This out-of-home campaign, a tactical campaign that aims to align the Weis bar brand to the Aussie summer before the weather starts cooling.
“Hopefully through this campaign and our cheeky tone of voice ongoing and being consistent, we’ll [also] be able to recruit some of the younger generations, which is why, as well, we’re trying to step slightly away from TV and more towards out of home and programmatic.”
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Emotive and Unilever’s ‘Having a bar of it’ out of home (OOH) summer 2024 campaign for Weis Bars: El Nino
“What’s interesting about summer is we all look forward to it,” Joyce told Mediaweek. “But [summer] does come with some inherent frustrations i.e. me on the weekend, trying to get a parking spot. So we thought that’s a really interesting tension.
“We thought, let’s bring those to life in a really fun, endearing way. And, of course, the antidote: Well, thank God Weis is there!”
Both Emotive and Unilever described Have a Bar of This as a logical, soft-launch effort that serves as a precursor to larger brand campaigns on the horizon.
“It isn’t the most complex idea and sometimes simplicity works, we know that, but it is the start of our journey on all things Weis, and hopefully setting us up for some really big integrated work later this year,” said Joyce.
While both parties remained tight-lipped about the specifics, it’s safe to anticipate a marquee activation for Weis in Q4 of this year, extending into Q1 of 2025 – essentially, Joyce states, “what we’re building up to.”
Migyl alluded to “more market development activities” with Emotive, including tackling individual Australian states and different market penetration levels, as both sides work together to “move the needle” for Weis across the board.
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Top Image: Simon Joyce