Just in time for summer in the Philippines, Magnum is opening up another one of their pop-up shops in Manila this week. The Magnum Ice Cream Pleasure Stores are nothing new. The stores have been appearing all over the world in cities such as Sydney, Toronto, Shanghai, London, Paris, New York and Tokyo.
The whole idea of the store is that customers get to create their own custom Magnum ice cream creations, first by choosing an ice cream bar and then smothering it with toppings ranging from almonds to sea salt chili flakes. Customers are free to do whatever they want, either going for a more traditional dessert or overindulging and going for something a bit more experimental.
Magnum seems to be finding great success with their pop-up stores. It's no secret that during times of economic hardship, people turn to other ways they can indulge and an ice cream bar topped with gold flakes and rose petals seems like the perfect way.
It made me think of a study we did in which we explored the different dimensions of the word “indulgence”. More than anything else, the word seemed to be strongly connected to food. Respondents focused on decadent treats such as chocolate and cake, which makes sense since at a time when cut-backs are common, food has the capacity to provide a safe and affordable outlet for this need for debauchery.
So, what do you think? Are you planning on stopping by a Magnum Pleasure Store the next time one opens up in your area?
For more information on our Exploring Indulgence study, click here.
