They both scream for ice cream

MANILA, Philippines - Thinking of my favorite flavor makes me happy already,” Georgina Wilson said at the Haagen-Dazs event, which was held recently at the Salon de Ning of The Peninsula Manila to launch its new global campaign, “Anticipated Like No Other,” and introduce its first-ever brand ambassadors. She was, of course, referring to the flavors of the Haagen-Dazs super-premium ice-cream brand. But, she revealed, she does not have only one favorite flavor.

She loves Haagen-Dazs’ Strawberry Cheesecake flavor best of all, Georgina said, but she also likes the Cappuccino Truffle as well as the Green Tea flavors. As you can see, she admitted, it’s quite difficult for her to make up her mind. The list of Haagen-Dazs flavors includes Belgian Chocolate, Coffee, Cookies and Cream, Caramel Biscuit and Cream, Macadamia Nut, and Chocolate Midnight Cookies.

Häagen-Dazs affirms itself as the icon of luxury ice cream with its new global campaign “Anticipated Like No Other.”

It’s a lot simpler for Phil Younghusband, whose favorite, without any second thought, is Haagen-Dazs’ classic Vanilla flavor. Ever since he was a child growing up in England, he enjoyed Haagen-Dazs ice cream, he recalls. The popular football player of the Manila-based premier league the Azkals and Filipino-British model Wilson are Haagen-Dazs’ “brand ambassadors,” the first in the Asia-Pacific region.

“They embody the essence of the brand,” Haagen-Dazs market manager, Paulo Tan, remarked. “They are driven to succeed and they pursue their passion. They live a balanced life, and indulge themselves once in a while.”

“We’re actually the first market in the region to have brand ambassadors for a campaign, and the first to name a guy as one of the ambassadors,” Haagen-Dazs brand manager, Cathy Castro, noted. “We thought that the best way to effectively convey the campaign’s messages is to put a local face to the brand, individuals who embody it and whom the market can relate to.”

Haagen-Dazs executives Cathy Castor and Paolo Tan

The local market has been enjoying rich, creamy, slow-melting Haagen-Dazs ice cream for the past 15 years. “It was often associated in the past with the classic elegance of the iconic Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn,” Haagen-Dazs brand assistant Wilbert Galapon said.

Today it assumes a younger, more contemporary appeal, even while it retains its high quality and luxury image. The super-premium ice cream is dense since very little air is mixed in during manufacturing. It is high in butterfat content. It is certainly a rich indulgence worth anticipating. Haagen-Dazs super-premium ice cream is available in elegant pint- and quart-sized tubs as well as stick bars, crispy sandwiches, multi-packs and ice-cream cakes.

New flavors will soon be introduced in the market, Tan revealed. The wholly owned US brand, which has its headquarters in Minneapolis, is open for franchising, Haagen-Dazs legal counsel Lerma Advincula shared: “We seek operators who believe in the excellence of the brand.” At present, Haagen-Dazs is sold in more than 900 stores in 50 countries worldwide.

Gloria Diaz

The midday event at The Peninsula Manila also featured a fashion show by young designer Sassa Jimenez, who drew inspiration from the different Haagen-Dazs flavors to create her pieces. “I mainly took my cues from the qualities of Haagen-Dazs ice cream: rich, luxurious, and decadent,” she noted. A pink baby-doll silk dress, a brown knit tube dress, a gold and cream perfume-bottle dress, and a men’s short-sleeved cotton button-down polo, as well as a little red dress evoked Haagen-Dazs’ Strawberry, Belgian Chocolate, Macadamia Nut, and Caramel Biscuit and Cream flavors. They all looked delicious.

With its art deco interior design and four intimate, themed rooms, Salon de Ning was the ideal venue for the Haagen-Dazs-inspired fashion show and so-called “art installations” depicting different “intimate moments” when one can indulge. The models portrayed an all-girls’ night out, a romantic evening with a partner, and your very own alone or “me time” when “you can simply let the rest of the world melt away, but not the ice cream.”

“Much like life’s most precious moments,” Castro noted, “waiting only makes that time of indulgence that much sweeter.” No wonder Haagen-Dazs super-premium ice cream is “anticipated like no other.”

Sassa Jimenez (center) with host Bianca Valerio (third from left) and models

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Haagen-Dazs branches are located at SM Mall of Asia (556-1111), SM Mega Atrium (638-2971), and Robinsons Place Ermita (353-2972) or visit www.haagendazs.com.ph. For franchising inquiries, call 882-1117.