Unilever’s Magnum ice cream brand is international, but appears in some very different formats in overseas markets.
In Italy, it has debuted in chocolate confectionery. Having already introduced bite-size ice cream pieces coated in chocolate (Magnum Moments), it has now launched Magnum branded milk chocolates, made with selected ingredients and 60% pure chocolate.
They come in several varieties including Pralines, Magnum Infinity (a soft caramel filled bar) and Magnum Essence (a segmented tablet). This is a surprising move but could be a winner if the new products can trade on the strong indulgence attributes of Magnum.
In Portugal, local ice cream subsidiary Iglo-Ola has come up with an innovative twist that could help extend ice cream sales into the winter months. Magnum Hot is a chocolate flavour ice cream in a 175g plastic cup, and is designed to be tipped into a mug and microwaved for two minutes, resulting in a rich, chocolatey drink. A carton holding two cups retails at €2.99.
Unilever has experimented with hot ice cream in the past - in March 2003, in Portugal, the company introduced Ola Quente & Frio (hot and cold), an ice cream log with a microwaveable hot sauce to be poured over.
Magnum Hot is positioned closer to an impulse line as it is single-serve, and no doubt many consumers will simply eat the ice cream frozen, straight from the cup.n Company: Unilever
n Product: Magnum chocolates and Magnum Hot
n Country: Italy and Portugal

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