Haagen Dazs Names Bbh As Its Global Lead Creative Agency

Häagen-Dazs, General Mills’ iconic luxury ice cream brand, has named BBH as its global lead creative agency, rekindling one of advertising’s most innovative creative partnerships. With this appointment, the agency-brand relationship that has existed since the 1990s has come back to life. The decision follows a competitive pitch process involving VCCP and Dentsu Creative. General Mills and Oystercatchers collaborated to facilitate the review. In 2019, the account was acquired by Forsman & Bodenfors, a creative agency that operates under the Stagwell umbrella.

BBH Returns as Häagen-Dazs’ global lead creative agency

BBH’s appointment signals Häagen-Dazs’ recommitment to disrupting the sector with a new global brand platform and a unique visual identity, reuniting consumers with the brand’s pure indulgence, and increasing sales at double the anticipated category growth rate. Early in the 1990s, BBH worked with the upscale ice cream company on campaigns that highlighted adult sensuality, such as the well-known “Dedicated to Pleasure” press campaign. Notably, BBH oversaw the 1995 “Heat” TV ad campaign for Häagen-Dazs.

Häagen-Dazs’ previous creative collaboration with BBH

In a statement, Häagen-Dazs claimed that its yearly sales increased nearly fivefold in the first year of the company’s collaboration in the 1990s. Karen Martin, CEO of BBH London, expressed her enthusiasm about reconnecting with the iconic brand, emphasizing their shared passion and vision for the work ahead.

Forsman & Bodenfors’ campaign with Häagen-Dazs

Forsman & Bodenfors’ work for the brand comprised last year’s “The Rose Project,” a global initiative honoring Häagen-Dazs’ female co-founder Rose Mattus by promising bursaries to women trailblazers all over the world. The company has also produced experiences, such as the 2023 “Flavors of Love” pop-up in Convent Garden. In an unusual move, the brand requested agency commitment to gender inclusion and ownership of the ideas presented in their 2019 pitch. The company was owned by Saatchi & Saatchi from 2015 until 2019.

Here’s what they said

Manuel Garabato, global brand director of Häagen-Dazs, said,

This isn’t our first date with BBH. After appointing the agency in 1990, Häagen-Dazs rapidly became the most talked about ice cream brand in the world, thanks to the combination of the brand’s disruptive adult positioning and the cultural and creative brilliance of BBH. Now we’re rekindling that relationship to create a bold and challenging approach to the category with a distinctive new global brand platform.

Karen Martin, chief executive officer at BBH London, added,

Häagen-Dazs has a unique place in the creative legacy of BBH and getting the chance to reconnect with such an iconic brand feels like an incredibly special moment. We share the same passion and vision for the work and can’t wait to get going, again.

Toby Southgate, the global chief executive of Forsman & Bodenfors, stated,

We have had a great run on Häagen-Dazs and are really proud of the impact we’ve had over the last few years. We wish the whole Häagen-Dazs team every success in their new relationship with BBH, and we look forward to the evolution of the work.

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