• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, July 18, 2021

Just in time for National Ice Cream Day (July 18) ad trends analyzer Pattern89 reports that fruit flavors are the most popular in advertising imagery this year—more than twice as popular as chocolate. 

Pattern89, which uses AI to analyze ad trends from a global database, also finds that the strawberry emoji is the most popular ice-cream-related emoji in ads right now. 

Ads also feature exponentially more bowl references than cones. 

Chocolate versus Vanilla? Chocolate hands down. At least in ad copy, where references to chocolate ice cream are used 1000% more than vanilla. And in digital ads chocolate has a 353% higher click through rate than vanilla. 

Milkshakes appear to be more engaging in ads, with a 63% higher CTR than regular ice cream. 

In the toppings department fruit is an engagement standout with cherry, strawberry and other fruit emojis among the most popular from a CTR standpoint.

Enjoy the holiday, which you may get off this year -- since it's on a Sunday.