How does Cadbury balance short and long term growth?

For David Clements, UK marketing lead at Mondelez International, parent company of Cadbury, the walk between delivering short-term and long-term growth can be a tricky tightrope. Especially when growth is a company obsession.

So, how does Cadbury toe that line?

According to Clements, they do it by placing an important focus on consistency and constantly orientating themselves around the DNA of the brand.

This most clearly showed itself in 2018, when the brand placed an emphasis on the strand of their DNA that focused on generosity. Something that was brought to life by their ‘Glass and a half in everyone’ brand campaign which took an iconic saying associated with the company and put it into a highly successful campaign highlighting the generosity and community spirit in everyone. Resulting in a 22% increase in sales since the campaign launched which generated an additional £261m in revenue per year.

Of course, external factors such as Covid and inflation pose real challenges to Cadbury’s growth obsession. The former could have proven incredibly detrimental to the company especially with the associated restrictions placed on people’s activities out of the home and associated health concerns. However, Clements has highlighted that Cadbury is disciplined in adhering to its consistent approach and Brand DNA. 

A consistency that has seen Cadbury stick with its traditional purple and gold writing, when outsiders may have considered switching to a brighter and flashier writing style. Or indeed, in the launch of new ads as part of their ‘Glass and a half in everyone’ campaign, including a recent heart-tugging father and son ad. Where the father and son relationship changes to one of friend and confidant, with a Cadbury Dairy Milk bar serving as a uniting factor throughout. 

As Cadbury’s numbers continue to grow, it is clear that consumers are responding positively to their emphasis on consistency and reassurance that though the world may feel scary and ever-changing, Cadbury will always be there. A reassuring hand on the shoulder.