The smaller brands in the market suffered from significantly brand awareness, compared with Haagen-Dazs. There was not a single respondent who had never heard of Haagen-Dazs, even among those who do not eat ice cream. Among those who do eat ice cream, minor brands often had a low level of awareness. Some brands include Three Twins, Blue Bell, Turkey Hill, and several dozen others across the country. Among those who expressed awareness of the minor brands, most had a 'favorable' or 'very favorable' opinion, and were pleased with the overall quality. Thus, while the minor brands appear to have a good level of differentiation they are constrained by poor awareness levels that might reflect the relatively small distribution of those brands.

Strengths & Weaknesses

The competition is generally strong with respect to differentiation. Most competitors have clearly-defined their positions in the market and their approaches to ice cream. For the most part, competition appears to be waged on the basis of this differentiation and on distribution. Over time, competitors whose products are strong enough will focus on building their distribution, especially getting into more mainstream grocery stores. At present, Haagen-Dazs competes primarily with Ben & Jerry's in the premium segment in grocery stores. The survey indicated that Nestle was not a direct competitor as previously believed. Most competitors therefore are weak in terms of their distribution, and only the guys from Vermont can compete with Haagen-Dazs in this regard.

In terms of the quality dimension, the competitors generally perform well. Most competitors...

In this respect, few are truly differentiated away from Haagen-Dazs and as a consequence many suffer from low brand recognition, the primary weakness of most players in premium ice cream. Ben & Jerry's has high brand recognition and distribution, but is viewed unfavorably by more customers than is Haagen-Dazs. That brand's convoluted flavors are favored by many, but turn some people off. The simpler flavors of Haagen-Dazs appear to have more universal appeal. Overall, the assessment shows that Haagen-Dazs has the strongest brand in the premium ice cream segment. It is not significantly stronger, however, than Ben & Jerry's. Further, on quality Haagen-Dazs scores well, but does not distinctly outperform the perception of other brands. Many brands want to position away from Haagen-Dazs as a means of winning business from the company, but few have been able to do so consistently, except Ben & Jerry's.
Works Cited:

IDFA. (2013). Ice cream sales & trends. International Dairy Foods Association. Retrieved March 13, 2013 from http://www.idfa.org/news -- views/media-kits/ice-cream/ice-cream-sales-and-trends/

IDFA. (2013, 2). What's hot in ice cream. International Dairy Food Association. Retrieved March 13, 2013 from http://www.idfa.org/news -- views/media-kits/ice-cream/whats-hot-in-ice-cream/

No author. (2006). Breyers natural ice cream and tara gum: Unilever response. A Daily Scoop. Retrieved March 13, 2013 from http://adailyscoop.com/breyers-natural-ice-cream-and-tara-gum-unilevers-response/