narrative
product
experience
Popsicle Rebranded
Popsicle: Popdot A rebranding project for Popsicle that introduces Popdot, a new sub-line targeting a redefined audience and translating the brand's legacy of joy into a product, identity, and experience designed for modern adulthood.
Current Problem
Popsicle's core audience has grown up, but the brand hasn't. Its playful, kid-oriented identity no longer resonates with adults, creating a risk of irrelevance in a competitive ice cream market.
Opportunity
Popsicle's core audience has grown up, but the brand hasn't. A white space exists in the mid-price range between fun and elevated, aligned with the rise of snacking culture, self-care trends, and the "little treat" movement among younger consumers.
People
The Burned-Out Achiever: Millennials and Gen Z professionals navigating full-time work, high screen time, and mental fatigue. They snack to decompress but want something mess-free, elevated, and guilt-light. A 60-million-person market opportunity.
Strategy
Rather than rebranding Popsicle, we created Popdot as a new sub-line within the Popsicle family, preserving the parent brand's equity while opening a new growth channel targeting modern adulthood.
Product
Bite-sized, mess-free, consumed frozen or at room temperature. Layered jelly exterior, popsicle core, and fruit pulp center. Four flavors rooted in heritage but elevated with modern pairings. $3 per box with a projected $50MM+ annual profit.
Assets
Through a visual memory exercise with 30 participants, we identified the most recalled brand elements: the blue and red palette, the pill-shaped wordmark, and the dot motif. These became the foundation for Popdot's new visual identity.
A refined color palette, modern logo referencing the brand's iconic stick form, and a dual typeface system balancing playfulness with premium elegance. An emotion-based character system reflects the everyday moods of the burned-out achiever.
Packaging redesigned from the classic 18-count family box to an individual, on-the-go format. Mess-free, desk-friendly, and elevated in texture and experience while remaining accessible at $3 per box.
Positioned within Unilever's ice cream portfolio to fill a gap between fun and elevated, complementing existing product lines without cannibalization.
Marketing
Positioned within Unilever's ice cream portfolio to fill a gap between fun and elevated, complementing existing product lines without cannibalization.
Management
A profit margin nearly 10 points higher than classic Popsicle, targeting 6MM customers with a conservative projection of $50MM+ in annual profit.
A profit margin nearly 10 points higher than classic Popsicle, targeting 6MM customers with a conservative projection of $50MM+ in annual profit.
Harvard GSD, 2025