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Cornetto (frozen dessert)

Cornetto ('little horn')[1] is an Italian brand of ice cream cone dessert, which is manufactured and owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company. Cornettos are sold as part of the Heartbrand product line, known internationally by different names, including Algida in Italy, Wall's in the UK, Singapore and Pakistan, HB in Ireland,[2] Frigo in Spain,[3] and Kwality Wall's in India. Many variations of the product exist, ranging from milk-based ice cream to vegetable fat-based dessert.[4]

History

For a long time, the idea of selling frozen ice cream cones had been impractical, as the ice cream would soak into the moist cone during the manufacturing process and make it soggy and unpalatable when served. In 1959, Spica and Mario Faccenda,[5][6] two Italian ice cream manufacturers based in Naples, overcame this problem by insulating the inside of the waffle cone from the ice cream with a coating of oil, sugar, and chocolate.[7]

In 1976, the patent was acquired by Unilever, which began marketing the product in Italy through the Algida brand and abroad through other subsidiaries, including Wall's in the UK and Pakistan, HB in Ireland, Frigo in Spain and Kwality Wall's in India. They are sold in many different sizes throughout Europe, ranging from 28-ml Miniatures to 260-ml King Cones, though the 90-ml and 125-ml sizes tend to be the most popular.

On March 19, 2024, Unilever announced it would divest its ice cream brands and cut 7,500 jobs in order to make "a simpler, more focused and higher performing Unilever". Included in the spin-off are Ben & Jerry's, Cornetto, Magnum, Talenti, and Wall's. The divestment is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.[8]

Varieties

The product is available in a variety of flavours, including Strawberry, Mint Chocolate, Nut, Lemon, Whippy (yogurt flavour with a chewy chocolate), Valentine's Day flavours, and Cornetto Soft (soft ice cream that comes in chocolate chip, cookie dough, royale strawberry, unicornetto, dragon cornetto, vanilla, chocolate, royale chocolate and double chocolate). Cornetto Soft is sold on the street by vendors and is made on the spot with an ice cream dispenser, but the other flavours are premade and factory packaged. Also, Cornetto Enigma is made, which consists of cookies and cream, raspberry and double chocolate flavours.

Unilever introduced a Cornetto chocolate confectionery into the UK market in 2013, following a licensing deal with Kinnerton Confectionery.[9]

Hindustan Unilever manufacture Cornettos using vegetable fat rather than milk fat, and under Indian law it cannot be advertised as being ice cream.[4]

Cornetto introduced a new product, the Cornetto Max which combines two distinct ice-creams, a sauce, and a chocolate disc top, to better appeal to Gen Zs.[10]

Advertising campaigns

'O sole mio campaign

The brand was marketed in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Brazil by successful advertising campaigns which placed the Neapolitan song "'O sole mio" into a variety of stereotypical Italian locations and situations, with its lyrics changed to:

(in the UK)[5]

(in Ireland)

(in Brazil)

In Britain and Ireland, the advertisements ran for ten years during the 1980s and 1990s, with the song supposedly sung by former Italian waiter Renato Pagliari of one-hit wonders Renée and Renato.[11] (However, this is claimed not to be the case by Pagliari's son, Remo.[12]) It was credited to "Count Giovanni Di Regina" and produced by Jonathan King, who released it as a single.[13] In 2000, the Wall's Cornetto commercial was ranked 23rd in Channel 4's UK poll of "The 100 Greatest TV Ads".[14] The theme resurfaced in 2006, this time sung by pedestrians, drivers, office workers, and marathon runners in Central London.[15]

Following the Cornetto's UK launch in 1976, the song was regularly parodied using alternative lyrics, 'Just one Cornetto, Give it to me, Not bloomin' likely, They're 30p !' given the popular conception that the product was very expensive compared to other ice cream offerings at the time.

  • Just one Cornetto,
  • give it to me,
  • delicious ice cream, of Italy,
  • creamy vanilla and choco dream,
  • Give me Cornetto,
  • from Wall's ice cream.
  • give it to me,
  • a big ol' nut and chocolate dream,
  • HB Cornetto
  • spells the best ice cream.
  • Dame un Cornetto
  • Molto crocante
  • E più cremoso
  • É da Gelato.
  • Cornetto é da própria Itália.
  • Ti voglio tanto,
  • Corneeeeetto mio!

Philippines 20 pesos campaign

In the Philippines, the "sarap ng 20 Pesos" (lit. 'delicious 20 pesos') campaign was launched in 2009, relying on humour and focused on the product's affordability, with skits that showed things one could not buy with 20 pesos or situations where such a price would be unrealistic, and suggesting that the audience should buy a Cornetto instead. "Mag-Cornetto ka na lang" (lit. 'Just have a Cornetto instead') and "Hanggang saan aabot ang 20 pesos mo?" (lit. 'How far will your 20 pesos take you?') were used as slogans for the campaign. By May 2011, 30 story-lines had been produced.[16] In 2019, the SRP price of Cornetto became 25 pesos. However, in 2023, this was reverted to 20 pesos again.[17]

The television advertisement entitled "Tugs", which is part of the campaign, was selected as the Adobo Ad of the Year for 2010 through online voting at the ad agency band night "Lakihan Mo Logo 14".[18]

In popular culture

  • The ice cream is referenced in the films Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007) and The World’s End (2013); the three films are together known as the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy.[19]
  • The ice cream is referenced by Irish band Bell X1 in their 2009 single The Great Defector.[20]

See also

  • Streets – Australian brand
  • Drumstick & Extreme – competitors by Nestlé
  • Nutty Buddy – competitor formerly by Sweetheart Foods
  • Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy – a trilogy of films directed by Edgar Wright that briefly features the ice cream

References

  1. Bonnie Wach. One Day, One Place: Eat up Rome during tourist season San Francisco Chronicle, 22 June 2016, retrieved 5 June 2019^
  2. Share Happy HB Ice Cream, retrieved 30 July 2015^
  3. Comparte Felicidad Frigo, retrieved 30 July 2015^
  4. Hindustan Unilever told to erase 'Ice Cream' word from Kwality Walls advertisements The Times Of India, 2 August 2012, retrieved 3 May 2013^
  5. Cornetto retrieved 6 July 2017^
  6. Antonio Savarese. Gelato made in Italy: un viaggio nello stabilimento Algida di Caivano Foodmakers.it - Le storie dei protagonisti del Food, 2025-04-29, retrieved 2025-08-15^
  7. Groundbreaking innovation Unilever^
  8. Jason Karaian. Unilever to Cut 7,500 Jobs and Spin Off Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Unit New York Times, March 19, 2024, retrieved March 19, 2024^
  9. ConfectioneryNews.com. Unilever enters UK confectionery market with Kinnerton licensing deal 3 April 2013, retrieved 6 July 2017^
  10. Cornetto Max unwraps new textures and flavours to win Gen Z Unilever, retrieved 2025-12-23^
  11. Save Your Love singer Renato dies BBC News, 5 August 2009, retrieved 5 August 2009^
  12. J Newton. Tributes to Renato – a singing sensation This Is Sutton Coldfield, 10 August 2009, retrieved 12 September 2010^
  13. Billboard Nielsen Business Media, Inc., August 26, 1978^
  14. The 100 Greatest TV Ads Channel 4, 2000, retrieved 5 August 2019^
  15. Sarah Woods. Just one Cornetto is the UK's most memorable ad jingle www.campaignlive.co.uk, May 12, 2006, retrieved 2024-03-20^
  16. Roger Pe. A very likable ice cream TV commercial Philippine Daily Inquirer, 26 May 2016, retrieved 29 June 2016^
  17. Jeline Malasig. Cornetto is P20 again, but Pinoys ask if there's a catch Interaksyon, 2023-10-10, retrieved 2024-01-03^
  18. Lowe Philippines' popular "Tugs" TVC for Selecta Cornetto hailed as adobo Ad of the Year 2010 Adobo Magazine, Sanserif, Inc., 3 June 2010, retrieved 29 June 2016^
  19. Hot Fuzz duo confirm third movie BBC News, 3 April 2008, retrieved 8 February 2025^
  20. The Great Defector genius.com, retrieved 2024-06-05^