I love ice cream. Soft scoop, Mr Whippy, Walls, Ben and Jerry’s, Häagen–Dazs, Kelly’s, Jude’s… the list goes on. In fact, not needing to find an excuse for eating ice cream almost daily is one of my favourite things about Summer.

Unfortunately, I saw an advert that left a bitter after—taste in my mouth:

If the brief was to simply cram as many advertising clichés into a 30 second spot as is humanly possible. then they nailed it:

• Attractive woman seductively eating ice cream – check
• Metaphor for eating ice cream – check
• Position ice cream as some sort of escape from reality – check
• Using the word ‘indulgent’ – check (‘indulge your curiosity’)

I totally get there’s a need to bring product features to life in ways that aim to connect with the viewer, but this advert feels completely at odds with the authenticity people want and expect from brands today.

I’ll leave you with this quote: