59 This Diwali, Unilever wants you to reach for a Magnum instead of a motichoor laddoo. With its ice-cream division set to become a separate entity, the FMCG major is rolling out a culturally ambitious plan: reposition ice-cream as a modern festive dessert. Brands like Kwality Wall’s, Cornetto, and Magnum are being promoted not just as impulse treats but as premium celebratory alternatives. The campaign spans limited-edition festive flavours, point-of-sale visibility, e-commerce bundling, and wider cold-chain deployment in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Chillers and freezers are being added in kiranas and smaller format stores to meet seasonal demand surges. Globally, Unilever sees occasions like Christmas, Easter, and Ramadan contributing significantly to ice-cream sales. Diwali, with its gifting rituals and post-meal indulgence, is the logical equivalent for India. The challenge: shifting consumer perception in a market where sweets are tradition, sentiment, and default choice. India’s per capita ice-cream consumption remains modest—around 600ml per year—but metros and Gen Z cohorts offer promising momentum. By tying product to occasion, and occasion to aspiration, Unilever is attempting a rare brand behaviour shift: redefining what belongs at the heart of an Indian celebration. For marketers, it’s a reminder that category expansion isn’t just about shelf space—it’s about mind space. You Might Be Interested In Zoff Foods’ Akash Agrawalla Spices Up India’s Market with Innovation and Quality NBC Hits 100 Outlets as $2.3M Fuels Next-Gen Coffee Expansion How GLP‑1 Drugs Are Reshaping Food & Beverage Marketing Gaurav Kwatra Eyes Indian Bread Revival in Bold iD Fresh Food Marketing Push F&B Brands in India Are Winning Big by Targeting Tier‑2 & 3 Cities Dairy Accounts for 25% of India’s F&B Sector, NDDB Confirms
