A custom ice cream flavor, branded truck, gifts and great pop radio push: within one of the most ambitious single releases of 2020.
Along with tours, festivals, recording sessions and fan-and-greetings from fans, major label marketing campaigns have been fueled by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, with new singles and albums receiving stunted promotion due to security concerns. However, Blackpink, Selena Gomez and their shared American label house, Interscope Records, wanted the go-ahead for one of the big pop releases of the year to bring two expanded fanbases together – of course, responsibly, and hang on to a shared love for sweets. ,
“Ice Cream”, the collaboration between the K-pop girl group and pop superstar released via YG Entertainment / Interscope on Friday (August 28), will be supported by a multilingual marketing campaign featuring a custom ice cream, social gifts, “parlor in a box ”deliveries and a truck driving sweet treats around Los Angeles. The launch is designed to make “Ice Cream” an event – one that fits Gomez, who is coming out of a No. 1 album, and Blackpink, who are releasing their most notable single to date prior to their release. first full-length in October.
“We knew we had a great opportunity to build these two worldwide superstars, to come together for this really big, girl-power, pop anthem of the end of the summer,” says Hannah Gold, vp marketing at Interscope Records. “We knew we needed a campaign that felt as big as Blackpink and Selena.”
Of course, the “Ice Cream” campaign starts with ice cream: Gomez has announced a shareholder in gourmet brand Serendipity, which comes from the famous New York City restaurant Seprendipity3, and created a custom flavor, Cookies & Cream Remix, which was also released as a home line to U.S. groceries on Friday. Gomez, whose HBO Max cooking show Selena + Chef went into premiere earlier this month, personally helping to enhance the taste, a pink vanilla ice cream enhanced by a fudge swirl and a smattering of broken cookie pieces.
“For Interscope, it all starts with the music and creative vision of an artist,” said Steve Berman, vice president of Interscope Geffen A&M, in a statement. “This great combination between Blackpink and Selena was one that was highly anticipated by fans all over the world. Managers of Selena [Aleen Keshishian and Zack Morgenroth of Lighthouse Management & Media] wanted to create an opportunity where Selena could highlight and support this great song collaboration that naturally evolved into an ownership opportunity with a prestige brand. “
A pint of Cookies & Cream Remix will be featured in every “ice cream in a box” package – which also includes rainbow sprinkles, various sweets and an ice cream scoop with a Serendipity brand – being sent to friends and influencers this weekend. Brand “Ice Cream” as a theme was released earlier this week, and a limited run of bags will also be delivered on Friday as part of a Amazon Music social gift.
But the big attraction of free weekend is a burning ice cream truck – the same one featured prominently in the music video “Ice Cream” – which rolls around LA from Friday to Sunday, pints to celebrities will fall and high ride – traffic areas in the city. Instead of the familiar ice cream truck jingle, the truck will explode into a MIDI version of “Ice Cream,” made specifically for the opening weekend stunt.
“We wanted to be able to do even more,” Gold said when asked about game planning of activating release week in the event of a pandemic. “We wanted to be able to have an ice freight park by the beach and share pints of ice. We just knew right away that that did not feel right last night COVID. … We will not put them in one location. We want people to deal with the truck, but we need to be safe with what happens. ”
Part of the reason Interscope was able to remain ambitious with its marketing strategy: “Ice Cream” was picked up and delivered before the pandemic shut down the US in March. “We’ve been planning this song for quite some time – pre-quarantine, I still remember I was in the office and heard the record,” Gold says.
The extra start-up time gave Interscope a chance to not only coordinate the Serendipity partnership and ice truck, but early song in song specific merchandise. That merchandise was then included in the music video, in which Gomez and Blackpink “Ice Cream” sports sunglasses, socks and other items now for sale.
Although Gomez is already a consistent presence at the top 40 – her number 1 album, Rare, included their first Hot 100 chart topper, “Lose You To Love Me” – Interscope hopes “Ice Cream” will give Blackpink a more pronounced presence on American pop radio ahead of the quartet’s debut, The album, from 2 October. The K-pop group’s previous single, “How You Like That”, reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the same peak as their recent Lady Gaga collaboration, “Sour Candy.” With Gomez in tow, Blackpink was able to climb even higher with “Ice Cream”, especially as the marketing blitz resonates in the way its shared label hopes.
“It simply came to our notice then [make them] a household name, ”says Gold. “It’s her big pop moment. And so we looked at it. ”
