Find Your Summer (case study) - Magnum, Unilever | Clapboard Ad Archive
Magnum’s Find Your Summer campaign, conceived by LOLA MullenLowe for Unilever in 2024, challenges entrenched conventions in the Food & Drink sector by reframing ice cream as a perennial pleasure rather than a seasonal indulgence. Rooted in a sharp human insight — that rituals of indulgence need not hibernate with the weather — the campaign’s creative idea revolves around actively seeking out those scarce, ephemeral rays of warmth and joy in the grip of winter and giving them new context through the act of savoring a Magnum. The hero film unfolds against a backdrop of a frosty urban cityscape, following individuals as they discover pockets of sunlight and moments of transportive comfort: a beam of midday light slipping through a window, a luxuriant bath that echoes distant tropical waters, each rendered in evocative black-and-white. The absence of color becomes a deliberate creative device, heightening the contrast between bleakness and pleasure and visually symbolizing the transformative power of Magnum to create a slice of summer at any latitude, in any season. This is an approach Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#9 — Symbolize the Benefit, deploying potent visual metaphors (fleeting sunlight, city chill, tactile escapism) to demonstrate how Magnum ice cream is not just a product but a catalyst for personal joy, indulgence, and escape, irrespective of external conditions. Magnum’s message lands confidently across Experiential, OOH, Outdoor, and Print touchpoints, with Ale Burset’s outdoor visuals amplifying the narrative of sensual pleasure and lifestyle aspiration. The campaign rejects the familiar functional frame of problem/solution in favor of emotional symbolism, inviting consumers to rewrite their own rules about when — and why — to yield to indulgence, thus expanding Magnum’s relevance beyond climatological confines. In Spain’s competitive landscape, where peer brands like Häagen-Dazs lean on luxury and Ben & Jerry’s lean into values, Find Your Summer positions Magnum not just as a treat but as a year-round act of self-care, tying brand meaning to those fleeting yet memorable moments of happiness that interrupt routine and monotony. The integrated communications strategy, evident in the seamless translation of the central idea across film, print, and out-of-home executions, maximizes resonance with both nostalgic summer devotees and spontaneous pleasure-seekers, elevating Magnum’s stature as a symbol of timeless escapism. Industry recognition followed suit, with the campaign collecting multiple Cannes Lions including the Grand Prix in Outdoor, as well as wins at The One Show, El Sol Festival, Clio Awards, and D&AD, validating both its creative clarity and market impact. Clapboard rates this 86/100. In a category often locked to the calendar, Find Your Summer demonstrates how a food brand can use emotional storytelling and visual symbolism to permanently alter the rhythms of consumption and elevate habitual pleasure to aspirational lifestyle territory.
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