The advertising slogan "Love her, take her to Häagen-Dazs" gives an ice cream brand the precious meaning of equal emotion.
With this advertising slogan, Häagen-Dazs, which creates a "taste myth" with quality, successfully went out of the circle, captured many consumers who are willing to pay for "ultra-high-end", and achieved a surge in sales.
However, the "Rolls-Royce of the Ice Cream Industry", which once swept the world and has more than 840 stores, has entered China for more than 20 years, but its performance has declined year by year, and it seems that it is difficult to arouse the consumption enthusiasm of young customers. Why?
The "hypocrisy" of double price and low materials was exposed
Recently, I saw that in a university supermarket that was closed due to the epidemic, the goods were almost snatched up. And the only thing left on the shelves is all: good friends.
Some time ago, this well-known South Korean brand only raised the "double standard" in China and Russia, which triggered the anger of netizens, and it was reasonable to be "disliked".
However, those who like to engage in "double standards" are not only good friends. Häagen-Dazs, known as the "Rolls-Royce of the Ice Cream Industry", has also been questioned because of the price double standard.
Previously, some netizens pulled out that the same 392g ice cream was priced at 88 yuan and 30 yuan in China and North America, respectively, a difference of 1.77 times.
Later, a blogger living in Japan also did a review. It was concluded that Häagen-Dazs sold for one-third of the domestic price in Japan.
If this is the case, can we think that the better quality and materials in China have led to higher prices? This is not the case.
In August 2021, Häagen-Dazs was fined 10,000 yuan for not matching the actual propaganda.
Specifically, it is the promotion of the ingredients of a certain ice cream mooncake on the brand's official website, which is the chocolate skin. In fact, it is a cheap substitute cocoa butter.
A box of only a few small mooncakes that count as minis, but the price is hundreds of yuan. Let many netizens out of anger - "so high pricing, raw materials are still so cheap, it is simply unreasonable."
Because of the brand's "ultra-high-end" popularity, every year before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Haagen-Dazs's mooncake sales are quite hot. Offline stores, there have been spectacular scenes of queuing for more than 1 hour to pick up the goods.
With a series of negative exposures such as price double standards and low materials, the image of the "hypocritical" Häagen-Dazs in the minds of consumers has been greatly reduced.
You know, since its inception, Häagen-Dazs has always emphasized: quality.
High consumption, high quality "halo" record
In 1921, Häagen-Dazs was born in New York, USA. At that time, the founders tried to use the purest, natural ingredients to evoke the pursuit of freshness, health and high quality.
Häagen-Dazs, which has taken the "luxury" route from the first appearance, has made a large number of consumers who pursue quality flock to it with the "ultra-high-end" that symbolizes quality life and exclusive taste.
In 2000, Häagen-Dazs entered Guangzhou.
In the next four years, Häagen-Dazs, with its pure and pure taste, quickly occupied several super-first-tier cities on the ice cream track that was not crowded at the time.
When everyone's consumption of ice cream is still stuck in the inertia of several yuan, Häagen-Dazs 85g small ball cup priced at 30 yuan, it is indeed enough to attract attention "unexpectedly".
Coupled with the "high consumption, high quality" lifestyle advocated by Häagen-Dazs, and a series of "halo" publicity such as focusing on origin and pure natural raw materials. By 2017, the brand's share of performance in China soared to 50% of the world's total performance.
We can see that Häagen-Dazs' highly recognizable red and white color matching stores appear in mid-to-high-end shopping malls in more than a dozen cities in China.
It is said that there is no Haagen-Dazs, which becomes a measure of the fashion of a city.
In order to cater to the multiple choices of consumers, the taste of Häagen-Dazs ice cream has also gradually increased from the earliest herbs, chocolates and coffees to a variety of patterns such as macadamia nuts, cookie milk, and cheese pudding.
Later, innovative products such as ice cream fondue and cake were introduced.
However, with the emergence of new consumer brands, Häagen-Dazs, which encourages the pursuit of quality to show the "taste myth", has continued to decline in revenue. In the offline stores of some popular business districts, there have even been embarrassing sales of single digits.
The "renewal" of tonal fluctuations and internal and external attacks has fallen out of favor
According to data, the size of the mainland ice cream market is expected to exceed 160 billion yuan in 2021, becoming the world's largest ice cream market.
Since the market is so huge, how can Häagen-Dazs, which once occupied the C position in the ice cream brand industry, fall out of favor?
First of all, online has become an important channel, and the "netsheng" brand has developed rapidly.
With the upgrading of cold chain technology, ice cream has been freed from the common "instant consumption" of the past. The longer shelf life brings more brands to choose from, as well as broad online channels and diversified consumption scenarios.
For example, Zhong Xuegao's "netsheng" brand, which only took 8 months of growth, defeated Häagen-Dazs on Double Eleven and occupied the top of the ice category sales list.
Second, Gen Z pursues fun and fun, focusing on the brand's "renewed" appeal.
Traditional flavors such as vanilla and coffee are no longer much fresh for Generation Z, who are pursuing concepts such as low sugar and low fat.
Therefore, some innovations that can cater to the context of Generation Z and the willingness to consume can really stick to their eyes.
According to media reports, at Universal Studios Beijing, a joint ice cream between Mengniu and Minions can reach daily sales of 120,000 yuan, breaking the brilliant record once set by Häagen-Dazs.
Therefore, whether online or offline, Häagen-Dazs is facing a pinch. How to quickly "gorgeously turn" to keep up with the pace of new consumption is a problem.
In recent years, on the road of brand rejuvenation exploration, this former "ultra-high-end" has also begun to try to be close to the public.
Not only did it launch a low-price discount coupon of 9.9 yuan, but also opened the world's first coffee store on Nanjing Road in Shanghai. I want to attract the attention of more young consumers through the low-price strategy and the creation of a third space.
However, the ups and downs of the brand's tonality may not bring about an increase in customer flow. Since the emphasis is on quality, we should do the quality to the extreme.
When the price is double standard and the material is low, the "Rolls-Royce in the ice cream industry" has become a false name, and it is difficult to win consumers again.
Anyway, in today's new consumption track, there are so many ice cream options available. 2 yuan a cone, is it not fragrant?
Resources:
1.36 Kr: Why don't you go to Häagen-Dazs?
2. NetEase News: The income is basically from China, but the Chinese people are regarded as "stupid big money", and now the store is almost "cool"
3. Interface News: The Sweet Crisis of Häagen-Dazs
This article is authorized to be reproduced from: brand front page | Author: Lin Chuan