Gelato Messina offers free scoops of Snapchat-inspired flavour this Mates Day
Gelato Messina will be offering Snapchat users free scoops of a limited edition flavour inspired by the platform this Mates Day.
Move over May the fourth, because Australians have a new favourite date, May 8.
Why? Because it’s Mates Day, of course. (Get it?)
That’s the premise of social media platform Snapchat’s collaboration with Gelato Messina, with the two brands coming together to create an ‘ultra-limited’ gelato flavour to celebrate friendships. According to the brands, May 8, aka Mates Day, is the perfect occasion to do that.
Cheekily named Oh Snap!, the flavour will be available for free across all Gelato Messina stores across the country today until stock lasts.
Sian Bishop, head of brand and marketing at Gelato Messina said, “bringing people together for good vibes and delicious gelato is part of Messina’s DNA. We are so excited to celebrate friendship this Mates Day with Snapchat”.
“Creating Oh Snap! was fun. Getting to dish it out nationwide for free, in the name of friendship, is even better!”
According to Snapchat’s blog post, Oh Snap! is “inspired by the classic vanilla slice, an iconic Australian treat, popular for generations”.
“Now enjoying a nostalgic come-back, the creative mavens at Messina have put a contemporary spin on the bakery staple, guaranteeing this gelato flavour is anything but vanilla. The much-loved trio of sunny-yellow custard, zingy passion fruit icing and buttery puff pastry (YUM!) are the perfect friendship of flavours. Now Messina has turned the vanilla slice into gelato heaven.”
The Mates Day campaign comes off the back of Snapchat’s wider push to set itself apart from other social media platforms. The ‘Less Social Media, More Snapchat’ campaign is centred around how the platform can make users feel supported and loved.
This is because, according to Snapchat, over time, “social media felt like an inauthentic version of our lives, rather than a source of genuine connection”.
“Snapchat has always been different to social media, giving our community fun and creative ways to stay connected with their real friends, free of the pressures of other platforms. We thought Mates Day was the ideal moment to bring Aussies together to celebrate with the people that matter to them most and bond over some seriously good Gelato Messina,” said Tony Keusgen, managing director of Snap Inc Australia and New Zealand.
Positioning itself as the “antidote” to social media, the collaboration with Gelato Messina is aimed at bringing friends together who can share real moments. Snapchat has over 8 million users in Australia.
“This brand campaign is a joyful way to remind everyone about what continues to make Snapchat an everyday part of millions of people’s lives, right across the country,” Keusgen added in a statement.
Gelato Messina had previously offered free scoops to customers in honour of the Matildas’ performance at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Founded by Nick Palumbo in 2002, the brand is also co-owned by brother Danny Palumbo, head chef Donato Toce and Declan Lee, and has 25 stores in Australia (except in Northern Territory and Tasmania) and one store in Hong Kong.
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