The Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), the UK’s trade association for the ice cream sector, is mobilising its members, the wider industry and other parts of the hospitality sector to promote their products to all those holidaying in the country this summer.
The campaign is called the Great British Ice Cream Staycation and is encouraging businesses of all types and sizes to get involved.
“Ice cream parlours and ice cream vans have been hard hit in this pandemic losing a total of £289million in income in 2020,” commented ICA CEO Zelica Carr. “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when you add lost ice cream sales in cafes, restaurants and hotels and the economic impact to businesses along the supply chain – manufacturers, flavour houses, wholesalers and many others.
“This campaign is not about dictating to businesses how to market their products. It’s about harnessing everyone’s creative flair and dynamism and providing them with the tools – across digital marketing, PR, influencer marketing, POS – to maximise sales and bounce back from a truly horrid twelve months. We are providing marketing materials, guides and templates free to everyone who wants it – not just to ICA members.”
In March this year the ICA surveyed its members on the effects of the pandemic on business in 2020. This revealed that 90 ice cream parlours have closed in the last twelve months and that 800 mobile units have ceased trading over the same period. However, the government’s furlough scheme has been a life saver for many businesses with up to 62% of staff furloughed at some point during the pandemic.
Zelica Carr concluded: “The ICA was founded just after the Second World War to promote a fledgling sector during the post-war years. The ice cream industry successfully expanded since then but has faced its biggest threat since the war from the pandemic. We felt the ICA had to play a major role in helping our sector to recover and flourish again.”
To download the free Great British Ice Cream Staycation DIY Marketing Toolkit click here.
