Ice-Cream Sandwich Teasers

Launching a new product is one thing. Launching it without being able to show it is another. For Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Sandwiches, we developed eight social-first videos, four HFSS-compliant teaser films and four product reveal films, using clever visual metaphors to build curiosity before unveiling the new range. For us this was a creative challenge that proved great ideas don’t need to give everything away!

Building Curiosity Before the Reveal

Launching a brand-new product is always exciting, but launching one under HFSS advertising restrictions adds a whole new layer of creative thinking.

When Ben & Jerry’s introduced their new Ice Cream Sandwich range, they needed a campaign that could work both before and after the product reveal. The challenge wasn’t simply to create social content—it was to build anticipation for something audiences couldn’t actually see.

Working closely with the Ben & Jerry’s team, we developed a complete suite of eight social-first films: four teaser videos that were fully HFSS compliant, followed by four reveal films that introduced the product in all its glory.

Together, they formed a campaign that rewarded curiosity and proved that sometimes showing less can achieve even more.

Creativity Within Constraints

HFSS regulations mean confectionery and ice cream brands have to think differently about advertising. During the teaser phase, we couldn’t rely on close-up product shots or mouth-watering food imagery to grab attention.

Instead, we had to create intrigue.

The answer was to use visual storytelling and clever lookalikes, objects and moments that echoed the shape, colours and personality of the new Ice Cream Sandwich without ever actually revealing it. It became a creative puzzle, and exactly the kind of challenge we love solving.

Four Creative Worlds

Rather than repeating the same joke four times, we developed four completely different concepts, each built around a visual metaphor.

One of our favourites saw Woody, Ben & Jerry’s iconic mascot, gazing up at the moon. As an eclipse slowly formed, the silhouette looked strikingly similar to the shape of the new Ice Cream Sandwich, teasing the product without ever showing it.

Other concepts used similarly playful visual comparisons, encouraging viewers to make the connection themselves. Each film created a little moment of intrigue, asking audiences to wonder exactly what Ben & Jerry’s had coming next.

The Big Reveal

Once the teaser campaign had done its job, it was time to unveil the product.

Each of the four teaser concepts returned for a second act, with matching reveal films that transformed the original scenes into full product showcases. The eclipse became the Ice Cream Sandwich. By revisiting the same creative ideas, audiences experienced a satisfying “aha!” moment that tied the campaign together while making the product reveal feel even more rewarding.

It was a simple but effective storytelling device that gave the campaign a clear narrative rather than simply producing eight standalone social videos.

Designed for Every Platform

Every film was created specifically for social media, with multiple aspect ratios and cutdowns designed for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and paid social placements.

The teaser films were deliberately crafted to stop the scroll, encouraging viewers to watch until the end before leaving them with just enough mystery to keep them talking.

The reveal edits then shifted gears, allowing the new Ice Cream Sandwiches to take centre stage with all the playful energy and vibrant personality people expect from Ben & Jerry’s.

Although the creative approach changed between phases, the campaign maintained a consistent visual identity throughout, helping build recognition across every platform.

A Campaign That Rewards Curiosity

This project perfectly demonstrates how creative constraints often lead to stronger ideas.

Rather than seeing HFSS regulations as something to work around, we embraced them as part of the creative process. By building anticipation first and revealing the product later, the campaign became more engaging, more memorable and ultimately more rewarding for the audience.

Launching a new product is about more than simply showing people what it looks like. It’s about creating excitement, sparking conversation and giving people a reason to care before the first bite.

Eight videos. Four creative concepts. One seamless campaign that turned advertising restrictions into an opportunity to tell a smarter story.