Magnum recently updated its brand expression, reinforcing its status as the world's most iconic ice cream. Crafted by its long-standing partners at Sunhouse, the new identity evolves the idea of pleasure as an exclusive privilege to pleasure as liberation to be enjoyed by all.
Sunhouse began working with Magnum in 2011, and was the agency that elevated the 'M-Stamp' to its now instantly recognizable stature. In the 10 years since, the studio worked side-by-side Magnum and the cross-agency team to creatively guide the brand's transcendence from leading ice cream brand to global fashion phenomenon.
This latest progression was driven by the need to recapture the brand's distinctiveness. As the category's preeminent offering, Magnum sets the standard for decadent indulgence. This has inevitably led to copycatting as well as persistent challenges from competitors. Sunhouse was briefed to strengthen the brand from the inside out, defining strategic brand principles that would inspire Magnum's brand world as well as redesigning current packaging to align with its new positioning as a liberating force of pleasure.
"All the incredible work over the past ten years has successfully positioned Magnum as a genuine lifestyle brand," commented Sunhouse's Sally Knapton. "But as the democratisation of culture and fashion begins to shift our perception of luxury, the brand ran the risk of becoming stiff and contained. Our challenge was to set it free by pushing it off its pedestal without losing any of its aspirational allure and desirability."
Magnum's new liberated expression is guided by principles that inspire fearlessness, confidence and sensorial indulgence. The gold and brown of the M-Stamp have been flipped to elevate its iconicity beyond the product. The bling is gone, but what remains is singular, contemporary and completely self-assured. The wordmark has been redrawn for optimal balance and elegance, whilst the introduction of the new M-Angle amplifies the brand's most powerful asset - the indulgent 'crack-and-cream' experience.
"To develop the new identity, we assessed the purpose and possibility in every Magnum asset," explained James Giles, Creative Director at Sunhouse. "It wasn't about inventing something new. It was about unlocking what was always there and always true. In this way, we were able to find alignment with what consumers intrinsically love about Magnum and then evolve it for relevance and impact."
