The world's most European ice cream isn't European at all. Häagen-Dazs, with its Nordic-sounding name and strategic umlauts, may have convinced millions of consumers they're purchasing imported Scandinavian luxury from one of the ten countries that make up Northern Europe . The reality behind this premium brand tells a completely different story. This elaborate marketing tactic began decades ago when clever branding transformed an American-made product into the symbol of foreign sophistication. The name itself was specifically designed to evoke images of pristine Nordic dairy farms and centuries-old European traditions.

What makes this story particularly fascinating is how successfully the illusion has persisted. Consumers continue reaching for those distinctive containers, convinced th

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