For many, ice cream is synonymous with long summer days, seaside visits, and after-dinner treats in the sunshine. It’s easy to see why some businesses slow their marketing efforts once the colder months arrive. But stepping back from visibility during winter can be a costly mistake. Customers scroll past thousands of brands daily, and those who stay consistent are the ones that remain top of mind.
The truth is that winter is an untapped opportunity for ice cream businesses. From seasonal flavours that excite customers, to clever content that builds loyalty, marketing during the quieter months isn’t just about selling; it’s about staying relevant, strengthening your brand, and setting yourself up for success when summer comes back around.
Protecting brand visibility year-round
With 97% of the UK population online, digital platforms are the first place customers encounter your brand. The average person spends over four hours a day online, which means they are constantly being served new content from competitors, influencers, and household names. If you go quiet during the winter, you risk being forgotten.
Staying active doesn’t need to be complicated. Posting a couple of times a week is enough to keep algorithms in your favour and remind your audience that you’re still around. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel either, one photoshoot of new flavours can be sliced into multiple pieces of content for different platforms. A behind-the-scenes video becomes a TikTok clip, a close-up of a scoop becomes an Instagram Reel, and a carousel can be adapted for a Facebook album.
Think of winter marketing as brand maintenance as much as sales. The point is to stay visible so that when customers do crave gelato again, your business is the one they remember first.
Seasonal flavours create buzz
Limited-edition products have always created excitement. From festive coffees to seasonal confectionery, customers love the urgency of “get it while you can.” Ice cream is no exception.
At Antonelli, we release an autumn/winter recipe book each year to inspire businesses to keep experimenting with flavours. Options like Dubai Christmas Cheesecake or Chocolate Baileys highlight that gelato doesn’t have to be seasonal in the traditional sense, it can be adapted to match festive moods and colder nights. These recipes spark curiosity, encourage repeat visits, and provide reasons for customers to keep engaging with your brand in winter. You can find the recipe book here.
Even if you don’t launch a full seasonal range, experimenting with just one or two winter specials can help position your shop as relevant year-round, while giving loyal customers something new to look forward to.
Reframing gelato as a winter dessert
Winter gives ice cream and gelato businesses the perfect chance to reposition their product. Traditionally seen as a refreshing summer treat, gelato can also be marketed as part of indulgent, comforting desserts that fit perfectly with the colder months.
With more people choosing to spend evenings at home due to rising costs and health awareness, there’s a growing appetite for alternative cosy experiences. Position gelato as the ideal partner to warm puddings, pies, or brownies, or suggest it alongside hot drinks like mulled wine or spiced lattes.
The message shifts from “cooling down” to “cosy indulgence.” By highlighting how versatile ice cream can be, businesses can strengthen its place on the table all year long.
Utilising social media trends & platforms
Social media remains one of the strongest tools for keeping your brand active during winter. The key is tailoring content to each platform and making the most of repurposing.
> Audience: Millennials & Gen Z (18–35), visually driven, trend-aware, foodies
> Best content: Reels (seasonal recipes, challenges, behind-the-scenes), Stories (polls, Q&As, teasers), Carousels (flavour launches, cosy serving ideas)
> Repurposing tip: Turn TikTok’s into Reels; cut Reels into Stories
> Benefit: Builds hype and keeps younger audiences engaged year-round
TikTok
> Audience: Gen Z & younger Millennials (16–30), fun-loving, trend-led
> Best Content: Trend-based clips (ASMR scooping, Scooptok), humour, quick recipes, taste tests
> Repurposing Tip: Edit TikToks into Reels or Stories
> Benefit: Expands reach and taps into viral trends
> Audience: Adults 30–55+, families, community groups, loyal locals
> Best Content: Longer posts (flavour stories, brand updates), customer spotlights, event promotions, photo albums
> Repurposing Tip: Adapt Instagram carousels into albums; Stories into posts
> Benefit: Builds community connection and drives repeat local sales
The strategy is simple: shoot once, slice content across platforms, and adapt it to fit each audience. This saves time while keeping messaging consistent. Watching what other ice cream brands are doing on social media can also spark ideas and ensure you remain part of wider conversations.
Learning & planning for summer
Perhaps the greatest benefit of winter marketing is the chance to test, learn, and prepare for the busy season ahead. With fewer immediate pressures, you can experiment with flavours, campaign styles, or content formats.
For example, if a “Flavour of the Season” campaign resonates well in December, consider building it into your summer line-up. If a TikTok post gains unexpected traction, you’ll know to expand on that style of content when footfall is higher. Winter provides breathing room to fine-tune your marketing approach, so you enter summer with proven strategies rather than starting from scratch.
Winter marketing is not about chasing the same level of sales as summer, it’s about staying visible, building loyalty, and experimenting with ideas that will pay off when the crowds return.
By keeping your audience engaged through seasonal flavours, creative storytelling, and consistent content, you ensure your brand doesn’t slip from memory. The businesses that succeed in summer are often those that kept the conversation going during winter.
Gelato doesn’t need to hibernate when the weather turns cold. With smart marketing, it becomes part of the festive season, cosy nights in, and winter indulgence. Stay active, stay relevant, and you’ll reap the benefits all year round.
