Vue Cinema’s own-brand ice cream range was losing traction compared with major third-party brands like Ben & Jerry’s, which set high expectations for quality and visibility in the cinema foyer. Vue needed to reposition its retail offering to better reflect the indulgent, emotional experience of going to the movies, and to boost both relevance and sales in a competitive concession environment. The brief was to rebrand and launch the product under the new name of Avalanche and create a retail toolkit and campaign that matched the drama of the big screen.
The Audience
The target audience comprised cinema-goers of all ages — from families with kids craving something fun after the film, to teens and adults looking for indulgent treats that complement the big-screen experience. These consumers are not just purchasing ice cream; they’re looking for small delights that amplify the emotional payoff of watching a movie. The strategy needed to speak across age groups while aligning with the cinema’s branding.
Insight
We recognised that indulgence and anticipation are core to the cinema experience — people expect bigger, more exciting sensory moments when they step inside compared with everyday life. However, the existing ice cream range felt outdated and disconnected from that emotional landscape. By rebranding the product to embody drama, excitement, and the sensory lure of cinema itself, the offering could feel like a natural extension of the blockbuster experience, rather than a low-interest add-on.
We explored multiple stylistic approaches in an effort to find a solution that appealed to a broad age range and our ambition was to 'sprinkle a little bit magic on to every possible moment’ in the film build up. For food and drink this meant being unapologetically indulgent.
We wanted to encourage cinema-goers to give in to the little treat that has a big impact.
We had to bring the product to life in a styling that matched the drama of the “Avalanche” name
and the big screen experience through an exciting, high-energy, colour-popping VI.
The Results
The strategic refresh led to a dramatically different presence for Vue’s concession ice cream:
The range was rebranded as Avalanche to evoke indulgence and cinematic drama, aligning the product with the emotions of the big screen.
The new identity and retail toolkit were designed to perform alongside Vue’s existing brand in foyer environments, making the product feel like part of the overall entertainment journey.
By adopting vibrant, high-energy visuals and clear messaging around indulgence and treat-like reward, the repositioned product had a stronger emotional pull with broad demographic appeal.
The overall impact was a more compelling retail proposition that better reflected the emotion cinema audiences seek — turning casual shoppers into repeat buyers by making the ice cream feel like an essential part of the outing, not an afterthought.
AVALANCHE, DRAMATICALLY INDULGENT