Christina Merl writes :
Do you like ice cream? I love it. That is to say, I love Italian gelato, the extra creamy original. Every time I go to Italy I look forward to a huge vaniglia, cioccolato, nocciola cone -- one of those cultural highlights I wouldn’t want to miss.
But this past summer was different. I still remember the sunny afternoon in early September when I was chilling on the beach, inhaling the fresh breeze from the sea, daydreaming, and enjoying the Italian way of life - there it was, the frozen fruit, yoghurt and wholegrain cereals titbit that was supposed to meet my needs: Frusì (http://www.frusi.com/uk-en/), this past summer’s innovation of Unilever, literally hit my taste!
At first bite, the multi-layered ice dessert reminded me of the legendary Peach Melba, even if this may be a little far-fetched. But while combining bright frozen mango pieces and seductive raspberry sauce, Frusì was missing out on the very indispensable part of this lovely creation -- the delicious homemade vanilla ice cream. Instead, there was (healthy?) frozen yoghurt and (also frozen!) wholegrain cereals. A composition which, I must say, takes some getting used to as well as a sophisticated eating technique. At the meta level, this intelligent and somewhat artificial multicultural dessert mix fascinated me though. On closer inspection, Frusì -- wherever this name with its intriguing “ì” comes from - perfectly fits the needs of the 21st century (female) European ice eater, who has learnt to appreciate Europe’s multicultural “layers” in addition to counting calories and caring for a perfect body shape (all the more so in fashionable Italy where the perfect beach outfit is standard and blue eyes give you only little advantage in pleasing the charming Al Pacino type). So why not give Frusì a chance!
While working myself through to the frozen cereals layer I realised that, from the scientific, analytical point of view, Frusì is indeed pretty cool. The product stands for healthy eating and fitness but at the same time exudes a sense of indulgence. In other words, the innovative ice snack is perfectly tailored to the needs of a diverse European market. It should be mentioned here that the product has not been launched in all European countries. Ice eaters in my country, for example, are not (yet) supposed to eat Frusì. But I’m afraid the rules of the marketing game have changed on a borderless continent where people get used to travelling more and more.
Anyway. From the naive ice eater’s position -- and please prove me wrong - the product would have to struggle. For my taste, the strategy behind this healthy snack is simply too obvious. What’s more, it is missing out on the brilliance and tradition, on the way of life that is inextricably linked to gelato. Trying to pack the diverse needs and expectations of a multicultural target group into a single frozen delicacy that depends so much on tradition and taste is clearly a challenge. But the market is relentless. A product, it seems, can no longer be “created” by a small group of product managers in the fifth or so floor of a high-rise building in some big European city, far away from the places where you’re seduced to indulge on ice cream. A marketing initiative launched at the end of this summer supports this: “Try Frusì for half price”, it says. Well, I won’t. I’ve decided to go back to Italy as soon as possible and enjoy my traditional chocolate-coconut whatever cup in some charming piazza - at best in the company of my Bulgarian and Dutch friends. But first we’d have one of those newly emerging pizzas with their delicate Turkish covering…
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