Reference no: EM133118325

Case Study : Brand Development by Identifying Brand Values

Introduction

The Cadbury brand name has been in existence since 1824 when John Cadbury opened his first shop in Birmingham, England. (Cadbury Ireland, as a subsidiary of) Cadbury Schweppes is the fourth largest confectionery business in the world selling chocolate, sugar and gum based products. Cadbury Ireland is the number one confectionery company in Ireland. Today Cadbury's best tasting chocolate constitutes the main ingredient of much of these products including everything from solid blocks to chocolate filled bars and novelties. The Cadbury brand is associated with best tasting chocolate. This case shows how marketing managers at Cadbury are working to ensure this association is continually developed through their new ‘Choose Cadbury' marketing strategy.

Key concepts of quality, taste and emotion underpin the Cadbury brand. These core values help to differentiate Cadbury from other brands and ensure its competitive advantage. The Cadbury Family of Brands The Umbrella Brand Research data shows that the Cadbury brand equity is highly differentiated from other brands with consumers. Brand equity is the value consumer loyalty brings to a brand, and reflects the likelihood that a consumer will repeat purchase.

This is a major source of competitive advantage. The Cadbury umbrella brand has endured in a highly competitive market, and has established the link, in the mind of the consumer, that Cadbury equals chocolate. An umbrella brand is a parent brand that appears on a number of products that may each have separate brand images. The Cadbury umbrella brand image consists of four icons namely the Cadbury script, the glass and a half, dark purple colour and the swirling chocolate image. These elements create a visual identity for Cadbury that communicates the ultimate in chocolate pleasure. Consumer research is conducted regularly so managers can learn more about how the market perceives the brand. This research has confirmed that the swirling chocolate and ‘glass and a half' are powerful images.

Both clearly portray a desire for chocolate while the half full glass suggests core values of goodness and quality. Product Brands The Cadbury brand has a profound impact on individual product brands. Brands have individual personalities aimed at specific target markets for specific needs e.g. Time-out, for example, is an ideal snack to have with a cup of tea. These brands derive benefit fromthe Cadbury parentage, including quality and taste credentials. To ensure the success of product brands every aspect of the parent brand is focused on. A Flake, Crunchie or Timeout are clearly different and are manufactured to appeal to a variety of consumer segments. However, the strength of the umbrella brand supports the brand value of each chocolate bar. Consumers know they can trust a chocolate bar that carries Cadbury branding.

The relationship between Cadbury and individual brands is symbiotic with some brands benefiting more from the Cadbury relationship, i.e. pure chocolate brands such as Dairy Milk. Other brands have a more distant relationship, as the consumer motivation to purchase is ingredients other than chocolate, e.g. Crunchie. Similarly issues such as specific advertising or product quality of a packet of Cadbury biscuits or a single Crème Egg will, in turn, impact on the perception of the parent brand. Similarly the umbrella brand has a strong brand value and a reputation that must be supported by its individual brands.

Identifying Brand Values We are all consciously and unconsciously affected by brands in our daily lives. When we go to purchase a pair of training shoes we rarely make a purely practical decision. There are numerous branded and non-branded options available. For many people, a pair of trainers must sport a brand logo because that will communicate certain values to other people. The confectionery market elicits similar conscious and unconscious feelings of passion, loyalty and enthusiasm. For many people, chocolate is Cadbury, and no other brand will do. This consumer loyalty is critical because of the value of the chocolate confectionery market and because, in all markets, a small number of consumers account for a large proportion of sales. Loyal customers are the most valuable customers to have because they will buy your product over and over again.

Branded products command premium prices. Consumers will happily pay that premium if they believe that the brand offers levels of quality and satisfaction that competing products do not. The most enduring brands have become associated with both tangible and intangible properties over time. The most successful provoke a series of emotional or aspirational associations and values in our minds that go way beyond the physical product. 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.

Question 1. Explain the benefits and value an umbrella brand can bring to a family of branded products.

Question 2. What is the objective of advertising a brand? Explain this by referring to the ‘Choose Cadbury' marketing strategy.