The “Battle of Alberta” is being honored in freezer, as Foothills Creamery and the Calgary Flames are bringing grocery shoppers a taste of the Scotiabank Saddledome’s soft serve, in a hard ice cream format.

“C of Red Cinnamalt Swirl,” in the team’s colours, is a treat based on a longstanding arena staple. And the ice cream can now be found at all Calgary Co-op grocery stores, a loyal partner for Foothills Creamery and a great place to test out what will be a permanent SKU, according to Scott Wegener, the company’s marketing manager.

The brand will eventually plan a roll out C of Red Cinnamalt Swirl with other retailers, and part of how it’s enticing consumers is at point of sale, with shelf talkers and freezer decals as well as $1 off coupons and a message about “bringing the Dome home.”

“Any product launched needs appropriate support in-store and on-shelf,” Wegener maintains. Marketing on-shelf and at the point of purchase is a great way to catch the attention of a consumer and communicate key reasons to trial a product, while shortening the journey from discovery to purchase, he says.

Wegener tells strategy the packaging is a huge driver for trial at shelf. “The Calgary Flames branding is obviously iconic and jumps out,” he notes.

The perception of many has always been that the flavour at the Saddledome is chocolate malt and vanilla, but the flavour also contains cinnamon, which is being emphasized in the product’s name. With the launch of the retail flavour, Foothills Creamery has been able to better communicate that there’s a combination of cinnamon, chocolate malt and vanilla, Wegener says.

“During the summer months we see increased demand for ice cream at the retail level as well as at the local scoop shops that we provide ice cream to across Western Canada,” Wegener says. With pandemic restrictions, it became even more important to help consumers find a way to bring that scoop shop experience into their home. It is now doing that for the Saddledome, and Wegener hopes it will also drive trial for the rest of the Foothills portfolio.

Foothills Creamery, which has been in business since 1969, currently has 14 flavours available at retail, six of which were just launched this year.

The packaging design was completed by the Calgary Flames design team, with support from Foothills Creamery. Wild PR provided support for the launch.