Coke rolls out an ice cream truck to boost new orange cream flavor

Dive Brief:

• Coca-Cola today (Feb. 10) launched a new campaign, “We All Scream for Orange Cream,” in support of its new Orange Cream flavor, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• A 30-second spot, set to Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy,” shows an entire neighborhood chasing after an ice cream truck that is serving the new flavor. Ads will run across linear TV, over-the-top video, online video and social with support via sampling, out-of-home, radio and experiential.
• The ad was created with agency Cartwright with production by Anonymous Content. The launch of the Orange Cream flavor was informed by consumer demand and growing interest in the Creamsicle flavor profile.

Dive Insight:

Coca-Cola is using childhood nostalgia, a frequent theme of its advertising (and ads from other major marketers), to boost its new Orange Cream and Zero Sugar Orange Cream flavors. The campaign uses the image of an old-school ice cream truck to serve up memories of the flavor pairing, which dates back to at least the creation of the Creamsicle in 1905.

“We All Scream for Orange Cream” features a buoyant 1995 pop hit in the form of Carey’s “Fantasy,” which plays as the diverse members of a suburban neighborhood chase down an ice cream truck that is serving up the new soda. In a twist present in the 30-second spot but not the 15-second one, the crowd is disappointed when the driver runs out of soda but is relieved when a Coke delivery truck arrives.

The ice cream truck shares the soda can’s orange and red gradient, a tweak made to the classic Coke iconography for the new flavor. Creamsicle as a flavor has seen a “renaissance” in interest over the last 10 years, the brand said, citing Google Trends data.

Orange Cream, first announced late last month, replaces a short-lived Spiced flavor that was discontinued last year. The new addition to the portfolio comes as Coca-Cola has spent the last few years focused on its high-concept Creations platform, which has included “space-flavored” Starlight and “futuristic-flavored” Y3000, among others.

Coca-Cola recently relied on the same nostalgic feelings in its “Westside’s Finest” portfolio campaign, which centered on a six-minute short film that showed how the marketer’s brands have evolved over the last 50 years. “Westside’s Finest” and “We All Scream for Orange Cream” also follow a holiday campaign that drew praise — and controversy — for its use of generative artificial intelligence.

Coca-Cola in Q3 2025 saw non-GAAP organic revenues grow 9% thanks to a 10% growth in price/mix and a 2% decline in concentrate sales. The company will announce its Q4 2024 earnings on Feb. 11.

“Our marketing and innovation agenda emphasizes a culture of acting boldly, learning and not being afraid to fail, and scaling successes. Sometimes our innovations don't hit the mark as evidenced by Coca-Cola Spiced, which we've discontinued,” said James Quincey, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, on an earnings call.