Cadbury Communication Mix Essay

What is the communication mix of Cadbury? The marketing communications mix consists of five major modes of communication 1. Advertising – in the case of Cadbury, advertising is used to build a long-term image of the product – Cadbury must therefore through its media posture be the market champion and carry the brand message – Television is the advised primary medium of communication as it has mass reach, a favourable image, high prestige value and is attention getting – Cadbury also advertise through magazines, radio, promotions, online etc – Consumers might believe that a heavily advertised brand must offer good value – The ‘taste’ of Cadbury’s chocolate has long been the focus of Cadbury’s advertising. This has been supported by the slogan ‘a glass and a half of full cream milk in every 200 grams’, accompanied by a picture of milk pouring into the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate block. The image has become an integral part of the packaging design and has been featured in magazines, and on buses and trains, billboards, and of course television. 2. Sales promotions – Cadbury use sales-promotion tolls to draw a stronger and quicker buyer response – It can be used for short-run effects to dramatise product offers – The Go Another Cadbury promotion encourages customers to purchase  promotionally marked Cadbury products for a chance to win free chocolate bars. This is just one of the many Cadbury promtions. 3. Public Relations – The thought behind public relations, is that it provides advertising to a large audience as well as generates a welcoming community likeness about the company – Well-thought-out programs coordinated with the other promotion-mix elements can be extremely effective – Cadbury are committed to a strategy of â€Å"growing community value around the world† and are focussing on investments in the principal areas of education and enterprise, health and welfare and the environment. Cadbury recognise that prosperous, educated and socially inclusive communities are central to its success. Cadbury are proud of their investment in the community and the contribution made by employees around the world. Creating value in the community is part of their heritage and integral to achieving the core purpose of working together to create brands people love. – Some of the major events and projects that Cadbury support are the Students In Free Enterprise, Foodbank, Variety Club, Melbourne Cup Carnival, Royal Show, World’s Largest Annual Easter Egg Hunt and the three time AFL premiership champion Brisbane Lions Personal Selling – is the most effective tool at later stages of the buying process, particularly in building up buyer preference, conviction and action. Direct Marketing – use of mail, telephone, fax, e-mail or internet to communicate directly with or solicit response or dialogue from customers – in the case of Cadbury this deals more with customers such as supermarkets to help with the set up or organisation of promotions, displays or location Which media seem to be the most important and for which marketing purpose? CDM is undeniably the leader brand of not only the Cadbury’s basket but also the chocolate segment as a whole and is in a sense almost generic to the category in the country. CDM must therefore through its media posture be the brand champion and carry the brand message. With half the advertising spends of Cadbury’s, CDM must build on the brand equity through a premium marketing strategy that reflects in the media communication and positioning as well. This would translate to large and continuous brand presence. Television is the advised primary medium of communication as it has mass reach, a favourable image, high prestige value and is attention getting while having low cost per exposure for a high absolute spend. The media will go hand-in-hand with the advertising in reaching the expanding target audience the brand is reaching out to. Herein, the media must also supplement the youthful exuberance and rebelliousness of the advertising communication. Caution should be maintained not to dent brand equity while increasing penetration in smaller towns by using locally targeted media channels in a manner that will allow capitalisation of the ‘premiumness’ of the brand. A strategic brand n the Cadbury’s inventory, it is the only brand facing competitive ad spend from Nestle in its sub-category and so must build on its strengths and plug its weaknesses within its restrictions. The target audience is well defined and an entirely different gamut with regard to communication strategies including media vehicles. The primary target is school-going children and though mothers as buyers are enticed by the advertising message of ‘goodness of milk’ it is primarily the children who act as influencers and are to be spoken to through the advertising and consequently the media. The media again acting as a support of the advertising proposition and being a high-visibility strong presence and  recall value brand with the TG. A comparatively tight budget calls for media innovation, which may include reaching out directly to schoolchildren via direct marketing strategies to supplement other media channels. This can be kept in mind while considering the implementation of the media posture. Cadbury’s communication, like its brand personality is a reflection of the relationship it shares with its consumers. Cadbury’s Dairy Milk is the brand leader and in effect the mouthpiece of the Cadbury’s range, through which it successfully attempts to remain the almost generic leader of the category, defining its own territory and the segment it operates in. Media priority therefore is CDM, which is the brand image and should therefore be the prime-mover in retaining top of the mind recall through its advertising and media channels. Cadburys has identified these brand values and adjusts its advertising strategies to reflect these values in different markets. Its strategy can vary from increasing brand awareness, educating potential customers about a new product, increasing seasonal purchases, or as is currently the case in the ‘Choose Cadbury’ campaign to highlight the positive emotional value of the brand. After identifying brand values the marketing manager must match these to the specific market. For this reason it is important to identify possible segments that have specific needs, and to highlight appropriate brand values that will promote the brand in that market. The Cadbury product range addresses the needs of each and every consumer, from childhood to maturity, from impulse purchase to family treats. For example an analysis of the ‘gift’ sector highlights the importance of developing innovative products to address specific markets. Cadbury designs products to coincide with Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s, Mother’s and Father’s Day and other calendar landmarks. Cadbury use marketing strategies such as the ‘Choose Cadbury’ strategy to encourage a link between chocolate and these events ensuring there is a Cadbury chocolate product suitable and available for every occasion. The confectionery market is full of brands that need to fight for our attention. The role of advertising is to keep a brand in the mind of the consumer. We are constantly presented with countless brand images and messages on a daily basis. During the lifetime of a brand, companies will develop marketing strategies that communicate brand identity and core values to gain our attention. In order to keep its product competitive and contemporary, these messages need to change over time. Cadbury provides one of the most successful examples of how an advertising message can be modified from one campaign to the next to attribute new values to a brand giving consumers more reasons to buy Cadburys. Healthy brand equity or brand strength is critical in an impulse-driven, competitive market. Advertising plays a key role in maintaining this strength. Cadbury employs all types of advertising from the internet to posters, from TV, radio and cinema to print media. This same creative message is then communicated through point of sale, merchandising, package design and public relations. The ‘Choose Cadbury’ Marketing Strategy The ‘glass and a half ‘, corporate purple and flowing script has become synonymous with Cadbury: these design elements have been used to great effect in developing the connotation of goodness that this imagery suggests. In the 1980s another vital attribute – taste – was highlighted. Regardless of national preferences about how chocolate should taste (e.g. dark chocolate is traditionally more popular in Europe whereas Australians prefer creamier milk chocolate) the implication was clear – Cadbury offers taste and texture that appeals to all. In the 1990s further emphasis was placed on ‘taste’. The strapline ‘Chocolate is Cadbury’, which was built upon previous brand values and allowed Cadbury to stake its claim and taking ownership of the word ‘chocolate’ and the chocolate eating experience. Earlier this year, Cadbury introduced a new global marketing strategy called ‘Choose Cadbury’. This strategy came about as a result of extensive research into consumer behaviour and perception. It is a campaign that perfectly illustrates how a brand can evolve and how different messages can be  communicated without losing the core strength and brand values that are already established. The classic icons have played a major role in establishing the look and feel of how Cadbury’s advertisements should look through successive campaigns. These key ‘look and feel’ icons were heavily researched to ensure that the messages they impart are always relevant to the Cadbury consumer. In depth customer research is conducted to ‘test’ these messages. Research results confirmed that colour recognition of dark purple is strongly associated with Cadbury. Its logo is readily recognised and scores a ninety six per cent recognition level alongside other global brands such as Coca Cola and McDonalds. The glass and a half symbol, which plays a key role in the current ‘Choose Cadbury’ strategy, continues to communicate the quality and superior taste of Cadbury’s chocolate. The central message of the ‘Choose Cadbury’ strategy hinges on the established glass and a half symbol. Is the glass half full or half empty? Cadbury suggests that the glass is always half full appealing to our emotions. Therefore, in choosing Cadbury we are taking a decision to embrace the positive. This optimistic metaphor is, according to consumer testing in the UK and Australia, well understood amongst consumers. In this ‘Choose Cadbury’ campaign, the product ingredient of milk has been elevated from a practical, rational platform to an emotional one Cadbury can deliver on optimism, happiness and a feel-good factor. If a brand can do all this, the decision to purchase this brand over all other chocolate brands seems to be logical and inevitable. The ‘Choose Cadbury’ strapline is a call to action designed to motivate us. We are not expected to simply absorb the advertising message, we are being called upon to make a conscious purchase decision. We are reassured that the Cadbury product will remain unchanged, (Cadbury is Chocolate and it still tastes good), but we are given more reasons to remain brand loyal (Cadbury is Chocolate – feels good i.e. positive, uplifting, mood enhancing, providing enjoyment and happiness). At no stage in the evolution of the Cadbury brand has there been as much reliance on taking ownership of the emotional side of eating chocolate as there is now. Owning the emotional territory for chocolate helps Cadbury to  elevate its product in the mind of the consumer. With the ‘Choose Cadbury’ campaign consumers are being offered both logical and emotional reasons to buy a Cadbury product as a first option on every occasion.