No Cadbury’s for me, thanks
OPINION: I am declaring, here and now, that I will never buy Cadbury’s chocolate again after it announced last week that it was halting all production at its Dunedin factory.
This stand might be a bit hollow, as I can’t actually recall the last time I willingly bought any Cadbury’s chocolate.
The only time I do is when I’m cornered in the office by a fraught looking parent with bars of Dairy Milk fund raising for school trips. But I’m taking this stand anyway.
Don’t get me wrong, I am very sad for the workers in Dunedin. But in my view, Cadbury lost its way, and my disposable treat money, years ago.
While Whittaker’s grew up and matched my desire for darker, good quality chocolate and gave me a bit of luxury amid the daily grind, Cadbury did not.
I look at Cadbury’s products at the supermarket and I feel like I am at the end of a very long supply chain. I stare at weird chocolate bar combinations and garish packaging and I know they were created in a lab far, far away to suit the homogenous tastes of millions of people globally.
And I move on. Where do I go? To the Whittaker’s selection, which has lots of things that appeal. It has great products, but it also has my brand loyalty as it gets what chocolate means to us as grown-ups in New Zealand.
I am clearly not alone. Over the last few days I’ve been watching comments on a Cadbury versus Whittaker’s poll and it seems the vast majority of people are now in camp Whittaker’s. The comments largely boil down to the fact it has better products and a very strong Kiwi loyalty factor.
Cadbury might dominate in terms of market share but it certainly hasn’t been winning people’s hearts for years.
After being named as New Zealand’s most trusted brand for seven years to 2009, Cadbury skittered down to 36th place after it had to back down over using palm oil in its milk chocolate after an agonising public outcry.
Meanwhile, Whittaker’s grafted away quietly in Porirua and in 2012 it took the number one slot, where it has stayed ever since.
Whittaker’s is smart. It’s innovative and uses its small size to be quick to market. It totally understands what its brand stands for and how that fits with consumers.
It’s added something for everyone in its product lines – from dark cocoa and the nostalgic K Bars, to the snack-sized bags of mini-slabs and the high-end artisan range.
Whittaker’s has marketed hard and consistently, with huge success in social media.
But it makes use of everything in the marketing toolbox, from traditional point of sale promotion through to limited editions to keep the marketing and public relations machine moving.
It stuck by its partnership with naughty celebrity chef Nigella Lawson despite her admitting to drug use just after their relationship started. The frisson of her bad girl side is just part of the decadence of a grown-ups’ brand.
Whittaker’s took on Cadbury, which has totally dominated the Easter market for years, when it introduced its chocolate Kiwis in Easter 2016.
It’s extended its customer base and underpinned its Kiwi-ness and brand values by buddying up with players such as Tip Top, Lewis Road Creamery and L&P.
Most recently, it launched a limited edition chocolate bar with an icon from my very own neighbourhood – the Brooklyn windmill – when it partnered with Meridian Energy to promote renewable energy. The company is all about its brand strategy.
Judging from the number of family-sized K Bars on special at the supermarket, not all Whittaker’s products have been a runaway successes, but that’s to be expected when you try so many new things.
I get that the Cadbury closure comes because the number crunchers have worked out it’s cheaper to move production to Australia, but I don’t have to support their decision.
With a locally-produced product as good as Whittaker’s chocolate, I don’t have to.
Sue Allen has worked in journalism, communications, marketing and brand management for 15 years in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.