Haagen-Dazs Celebrates Love With Experiential Campaign

General Mills’ Haagen-Dazs is celebrating love with unique and interactive activations around the world as part of its “Summer of Amour” platform. The experiences also celebrate the ice cream brand’s collaboration with world-renowned French pastry chef Pierre Herme.

Back in February, Haagen-Dazs teamed up with Herme to create a new macaron ice cream range, which first launched in the U.K. and France and more recently rolled out across Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

As part of its Summer of Amour campaign, Haagen-Dazs says it is showing up where people are “looking for love,” including in romantic destinations like Paris and London, and inspiring them to get together, according to a media release.

"We are extremely proud of our joint collaboration of 'amour' and are excited to see how the spirit of French love and culture, which is the hallmark of our new product range, is spreading as summer's most fashionable treat,” Manuel Garabato, Haagen-Dazs global brand development director, said in the release. “Our endeavour with the 'Summer of Amour' experience platform has been about sparking connection and celebration, and bringing the craftsmanship and romance associated with France to every corner of the world.”

In Paris, Haagen-Dazs recently offered a traveling photo studio within a mobile “Love Bus,” in partnership with Parisian photography company Studio Harcourt. The red and pink double-decker tour bus promoted Haagen-Dazs’ partnership with Herme while inviting consumers to capture their love at some of Paris’ most romantic spots. Photos from the bus were then showcased with a specially developed “Love filter” in an open-air street-style gallery at Place Stravinski.

Haagen-Dazs also dropped its first streetwear capsule collection, dubbed “The World's Greatest Serve,” in partnership with lifestyle tennis magazine, Racquet Magazine, paying tribute to the “game of love.” An exclusive party at Palais De Tokyo ahead of the Parisian Grand Slam event, which took place May 28-June 11, saw top tennis stars and tastemakers, such as French player Caroline Garcia, trying the brand’s macron ice cream collection.

In London, Haagen-Dazs unveiled a “Love Map,” encouraging people to find their own “joie de vivre” (i.e., joy of living) and guiding consumers through the city's most romantic spots, such as Primrose Hill and the British Museum. The activation included a “Flavours of Love” pop-up at one of the locations, inviting couples to embark on an “intimate journey” while enjoying a dessert menu featuring the brand’s macaron ice cream flavors, per the release.

The brand says the Summer of Amour theme aims to celebrate the “spirit of romance” throughout the entire summer season, while bringing a “local twist” to its activations.

Haagen-Dazs also launched a "Je t'aime Macaron'' (i.e., I love you macaron) social media dance challenge in South Korea. Other launch highlights in Asia included China and Taiwan, which featured tasting events with Herme himself, along with the “Spoonful of Macaron” event in Hong Kong.

Additionally, a Parisian love-themed garden party took place in Madrid.

Haagen Dazs said these global activations made Summer of Amour the biggest experiential rollout for the brand, and with its collaboration with Herme at the forefront, this summer marked the brand’s biggest new product launch.