Will it stand out in store? How do we compare with the competition? Are we offering value for money? Brands need to be asking themselves questions like this daily. So we asked our digital panel to give answers for four recent ice cream launches. Here’s how they stack up…

This article is part of our Ice Cream Report 2014 .

Tesco Finest Valencia Orange Juice Lollies

Tesco’s posh lollies’ packaging was popular with our panel, with praise also being heaped on its premium cues and ease of location in store. Taste divided opinion, with some claiming the high juice content made it too sweet. But for the majority it was hit. Six of eight said they’d buy again. “I won’t buy anything else again,” claims one. Sweet.

Heston from Waitrose Choc n Nut Ice Cream

Waitrose could be accused of underselling its latest Heston ice cream. This is much more than your average choc n nut, containing ginger, salted almonds and candied peel. “An explosion in your mouth,” says one panellist; “This isn’t an average ice cream – it’s a dessert,” another. Heston will always divide opinion: some say the product is too rich, but three in five would buy again.

Snog Passion Fruit Pip Pop

Frozen yoghurt’s not for everyone, see here for proof. But Snog was more hit than miss with our panel, which scored Passion Fruit Pip Pop highly across the board, particularly on its eye-catching design and natural flavour. One panellist claims Snog has the competition licked, claiming rival Mu tastes synthetic in comparison. Three would buy again; two weren’t sure. 

Bessant & Drury’s Dairy-Free Chocolate Dessert

Oh dear. None of our panel would buy this again. Of course, our taste panel is not representative. It’s a snapshot of opinions from a handful of shoppers which on this occasion didn’t include anyone with a dairy intolerance, the key market for Bessant & Drury. The results are interesting nevertheless; with 15% of the population lactose intolerant [Kantar], dairy-free brands will need to appeal to mainstream consumers to achieve greater scale. This suggests more work is needed. 

Read more of our Ice Cream Report 2014 .

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