An ice cream brand called Extrême and the well-known classic Magnum have both launched campaigns this week. They could not be more different.
Extrême’s agency, Clutch, opted for utter madness, with two films directed by WAAAW and produced by Hamlet. Magnum and LOLA MullenLowe went for unbridled elegance, with one film directed by Martin Werner and produced by Proppa.
Extrême says that ice cream should be a spontaneous, immediate pleasure and shows that off with energy, colour and a distinctly offbeat spirit. The films feature bold colours, playful humour and a sense of indulgent fun reflecting on the Extrême brand identity – joyful, unapologetic and anything but ordinary. Underneath this is an upbeat pop track called Ice Cream, by international artist, Mika, that mirrors the feel-good world of the Extrême brand.
Jack Antoine Charlot, one half of directing duo WAAAW, commented, “What we loved the most about working on this campaign was also what pushed us the hardest, and made us laugh the most by the creation of an extreme fantasy character. This is not easy, we needed to make it tangible, expressive, and genuinely funny at the same time.”
Sidney Van Wichelen, the other half of directing duo WAAAW, added, “The goal was clear – to create a character that’s instantly readable and instinctive without feeling too familiar, but grounding it in reality and fixing its shape and true presence.”
Marwan El Adrham, Clutch Agency CEO & founder, commented, “Extrême didn’t need another campaign explaining what makes it special. It needed to become impossible to ignore. We built our films as an invitation, with Mr. Extreme as an extension of the brand that genuinely gives everyone the licence to simply give in.”
The campaign will run on TV in France along with outdoor and social media across Meta and TikTok channels. The brand will also launch a TikTok challenge around the Mika Ice Cream song with the chance to win 2 tickets to the LA leg of Mika’s North American Spinning Out Tour.
Magnum aligns itself with indulgence as a craft – a universe of artisans, precision and pleasure. Its “fashion film” imagines a model arriving at the grand House of Magnum, moving through a building buzzing with the controlled chaos of any great fashion show. When the catwalk begins, Magnum’s signature cracking chocolate becomes the fashion statement. It, too, has humour – a very sophisticated humour found in the collision between haute couture precision and the irresistible eagerness to experience the pleasure of Magnum. The film’s rich visuals are wrapped in deep golds, rich chocolate tones and meticulous art direction to give an uncompromisingly upmarket feel. Its opulence and grandeur was underlined in post-production by Bacon X.
The House of Magnum campaign is running across social media and high-end live events – from Magnum Creations pop-ups, to the most recent Coachella festival, where it took the form of a full luxury retreat with pool access, yoga sessions, cacao ceremonies, and beauty touch-ups.
Werner also directed, and Proppa also produced, Magnum’s previous excursion into fashion and opulence, Pleasure Express.
