MAGNUM INVITES BRITAIN TO ‘SCHEDULE THE SUN’ IN BOLD WINTER SALES PUSH

Magnum has launched ‘Schedule the Sun’, the latest chapter of its award-winning ‘Find Your Summer’ platform created by LOLA Madrid. Rolling out across the UK, France and China, the campaign encourages consumers to book sunny winter moments into their calendars, challenging the notion that ice cream is strictly seasonal.

Magnum is once again confronting the ice cream category’s traditional winter slowdown with the latest evolution of its ‘Find Your Summer’ platform, introducing a new initiative titled ‘Schedule the Sun’. Created by LOLA Madrid, part of Omnicom Advertising Group, the campaign aims to turn fleeting winter sunshine into a reason to indulge.

For decades, ice cream brands have accepted a seasonal dip in sales as inevitable, reinforcing the perception that ice cream belongs to summer alone. Magnum has spent recent years dismantling that assumption. ‘Find Your Summer’, originally conceived as a proactive challenge to the industry’s winter decline, reframed summer not as a temperature but as a feeling — one that could be experienced at any time of year. The idea struck a chord, culminating in the Outdoor Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2024, where the work was recognised for its simplicity and craft.

Now, with ‘Schedule the Sun’, Magnum pushes the concept further by adding a practical behavioural nudge. Through a discount mechanic, consumers are encouraged to allow calendar notifications that alert them whenever sunshine is forecast in their area. What might once have been a passing winter craving is instead transformed into a planned moment of pleasure — an appointment with warmth amid the cold.

The campaign is rolling out across the UK, France and China, spanning print, social media, digital platforms and digital out-of-home placements. It marks a strategic continuation of Magnum’s mission to drive sales beyond the traditional summer window and to chip away at entrenched seasonal habits.

Visually, the new chapter retains the distinctive identity that has defined ‘Find Your Summer’ while introducing a refined aesthetic. Developed in collaboration with acclaimed photographer Leslie Zhang, the campaign comprises six films and six photographic executions, all produced in striking black and white. Light and shadow take centre stage, with winter sunbeams cutting across intimate scenes and diverse characters. In each execution, rays of light subtly form shapes reminiscent of the iconic Magnum silhouette, fusing product symbolism with everyday moments.

The monochrome treatment lends the work a fashion-led sensibility, elevating the humble act of enjoying an ice cream into something cinematic and considered. By stripping away colour, the creative sharpens focus on texture, contrast and the tactile pleasure of the bite — an echo of Magnum’s longstanding positioning as an indulgent, sensorial experience.

In France, the campaign’s launch aligns with Paris Fashion Week, reinforcing Magnum’s enduring association with fashion and culture. The timing ensures visibility during one of the season’s most influential cultural moments, situating the brand not simply within the food aisle but within the broader landscape of style and self-expression.

At its core, ‘Schedule the Sun’ builds on a simple consumer insight: during colder months, many people deny themselves small pleasures because of ingrained seasonal expectations. Ice cream, in particular, is mentally shelved until warmer days return. By linking a fleeting beam of winter sunlight to the sensory satisfaction of biting into a Magnum, the campaign suggests that “summer” resides in everyday fragments — a patch of light on a wall, a pause between errands, a quiet personal treat.

Goze Iscan, global vice president at The Magnum Ice Cream Company, said the brand’s intention was to evolve the platform without losing its distinctive character. She noted that the black-and-white executions celebrate “fleeting moments of warmth” and invite people to savour them, transforming sunlight into a cue for indulgence.

Tomás Ostiglia, executive creative director at LOLA Madrid, described the campaign’s origins in a tension long accepted by the industry. “Ice cream sales drop in winter, yet the desire for pleasure doesn’t,” he said, explaining that the new iteration turns sunlight into something actionable — not merely an atmospheric detail but a prompt to indulge.

The broader ambition is clear: to de-seasonalise the category and position ice cream as a year-round ritual. By embedding itself into consumers’ calendars — and, by extension, their routines — Magnum is attempting to shift behaviour as well as perception. If successful, ‘Schedule the Sun’ may prove that the warmth consumers crave in winter is not solely meteorological, but emotional — and that pleasure, carefully timed, need not wait for summer to arrive.