Sold in more than 90 countries, the Haagen-Dazs empire founded by Reuben Mattus in 1961 has officially graced our shores.
Häagen-Dazs marketing manager Keezia Haste said the company reflected the “ever-increasing consumer demand for premium and luxurious food products”.
The social media hype around the product built quickly, as the official Häagen-Dazs NZ Instagram continuously tempted its 2,145 followers with sneak peaks of its New Zealand campaign.
“Kia ora, howdy, hi there,” the brands instagram says. “New Zealand, say hello to your new favourite ice cream, Häagen-Dazs. We’re excited to be hitting supermarkets on September 12th, come get us….”
The campaign follows the typical style of its other international ads, with close views of ice cream rolled in slow motion, and no lack of fruit thrown haphazardly into what we can only assume is a lake of cream. All very avant-garde.
Its requested hashtag of #HelloNZ was used for a national hunt of their printed fridge doors, with Mecca Maxima, Superette, Sterling Women and Dry&Tea spa vouchers all ready to be won.
Doors were places around Auckland, Wellington, Napier and Christchurch.
The ice cream officially launched in stores on September 12. The brand will launch with five flavours, with each 457-millilitre tub costing $12.50.
The five flavours include macadamia nut brittle, salted caramel, vanilla, Belgian chocolate, and strawberry and cream.
Häagen-Dazs also has a range of vegan ice cream, a rollout date is yet to be announced for the additional flavours. For now, the first range can be found at selected retailers such as Countdown and Farro Fresh.
Despite a positive repsonse to the launch, there has been an equal call to support local brands such as Lewis Road and Kapiti, as people struggle to accept American ice cream manufactured in France owned by Nestle.
Haagen-Dazs may see a success similar to Ben & Jerry’s, regardless the brand brings new life to the game of cones.
