Abstract

The case discusses the growth of the Cream Stone Ice Cream Concepts (Cream Stone) brand in the premium ice cream market in India. Established in 2009, the ice cream brand developed into a cult brand spread across 87 stores in 21 cities in India. It paid a lot of attention to the quality of its ingredients, customization, and customer experience. With sensory branding strategies, promotions through celebrity encounters, adoption of technology, and a special franchising model, Cream Stone became a household name for premium ice cream in India. Viren Shah (Viren), Director of the ice cream brand, was behind the stupendous success of the brand that competed with foreign brands by offering a variety of flavors and catering to diverse consumer groups. Going forward, Viren had to face a lot of challenges in cementing a strong position for his brand in the competitive ice cream segment in India. Can his brand explore its potential and sustain itself in the highly competitive ice cream market?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the success of an Indian ice cream brand in the competitive ice cream market.
• Analyze the reasons for Cream Stone’s success in India.
• Understand the distinct competitive strategies a growing brand can adopt.
• Study the various types of entrepreneurs and the qualities of an imitative entrepreneur.
• Explore the challenges faced by Cream Stone and measures to overcome them.

Keywords

Entrepreneurship; business strategies; brand management; branding