Brand Analysis:

912994L

HISTORY1824: John Cadbury opens his first shop

1831: Cadbury expands his company, opening a manufacturing plant in

Crooked Lane

1861: John’s sons, George and Richard, take over the company

1866: “Cocoa Essence” launched, recipe bought from Dutchman Van

Houten

1879: Bournville – Cadbury’s “factory in a garden” – begins production

1881: Cadbury receives first overseas order

1897: Cadbury launches its first edible milk chocolate

1919: Cadbury merges with rival company JS Fry and Sons

1922: Cadbury opens its first overseas factory – in Tasmania

1955: Commercial television launched. Cadbury becomes one of the first

companies to exploit this new world of advertising

1969: Cadbury merges with Schweppes

2008: Cadbury and Schweppes demerge

2/2/2010: Cadbury surrenders to multi-billion dollar takeover bid from

rival Kraft Foods

The 19th Century CompanyJohn Cadbury opened his first grocery shop in Birmingham in 1824, selling tea,

coffee, hops, mustard, and a new, unusual sideline: cocoa and drinking

chocolate.

At this time, drinking chocolate was expensive. Cocoa beans were imported

from the Americas, and drinking chocolate was a privilege of the rich.

Birmingham was quite prosperous at this time; Cadbury’s new product was

tailor-made to his market. (Obviously, in Victorian times, a market would be

geographically quite small. Newspapers, posters, and word-of-mouth could only

reach so many people).As a 19th century company, especially a one-shop outfit, the

advertising of early Cadbury products was not outsourced. John

Cadbury himself (pictured) developed most of the early

advertisements. He saw cocoa as a ‘healthier’ alternative to

alcohol; thus, most early Cadbury ads appeal to health and

purity. Nowadays it is nearly impossible to imagine the head of

a company personally directing the company’s advertising

campaigns.

The 19th Century MarketAs mentioned previously, John Cadbury saw cocoa as a healthier alternative to

alcohol. He also developed most of the company’s early advertisements.

Because of this, very early Cadbury advertising was aimed primarily at

consumers of alcohol: adults, and mostly men. This soon changed as Cadbury

realised women and children could also enjoy his product, and ads targeting

whole family came into circulation – like that pictured below. It was during the

early 20th century

that children

became an distinct

Cadbury market.

By the later 20th

century, they would

form the dominant

market for Cadbury

products.

‘The trade of advertising is now so near to perfection that it is not easy to

propose any improvement’

- ‘The Idler’, 1759

18th and 19th century advertising was very different to today’s. Advertising

was rarely, if ever, outsourced. The manufacturers themselves designed their

advertising campaigns. Furthermore, these early ads were typically

information-heavy. This was mostly because ads were both rarer and more

static. In the 19th century, people might stop and read a poster for a new

product; whereas nowadays, a TV commercial may last for less than 30

seconds, but millions are aired per day.

Compare the level of information contained in the three upcoming Cadbury

ads. The first, from the 1800s, espouses the healthiness of Cadbury’s Cocoa.

The second, from the early 20th century, has no information but at least

features the product – unlike the third, from the 21st century.

19th Century Advertising

(We’ll look at this one in more detail later)

Ad Analysis: POSTERThis ad for “Cadbury’s Cocoa” is from the 19th century

• The ad follows trends of the time – information heavy, appealing to logic rather than emotions.

• The picture identifies the target demographic – the ‘19th century gentleman’. As Cadbury intended his cocoa as a healthier substitute for alcohol, the product would be aimed at adults, and mostly men.

• Appealing to health is not a modern phenomena; Cadbury claims his cocoa “is specially rich in flesh-forming and strength-sustaining principles” and “without the excessive proportions of fat.”

• Cadbury has found a good selling point: his “pure cocoa.” Other brands of cocoa (and other foods) in the 19th century was often stretched with breadcrumbs, brick dust – anything to cut corners. This is an example of a unique selling proposition.

DAIRY MILKCadbury has always been quick to react to the needs of the market. It released

its first eating chocolate in 1897, but this was soon being outsold by imported

chocolate from Switzerland. Chocolate at this time was still, to an extent, a

luxury of the rich (or at least the middle class); therefore Cadbury consumers

could usually afford to buy from wherever they preferred. One secret to the

great success of the Swiss chocolate was the addition of more milk. It was due

to this that Cadbury (now a large company) released a product specifically

designed to meet this challenge: Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate. It is still

being sold today.

A new product requires new

advertisements. Dairy Milk was far sweeter

than the bitter drinking chocolate John

Cadbury first sold; from this point onwards,

children formed a much larger portion of

Cadbury’s market. Dairy Milk ads, such as

that pictured here, obviously appeal to a

younger market. Note the simplicity, the

lack of words, and the bright colours – all of

which target children.

20th Century Advertising ‘TV won’t be able to hold any market

after the first six months. People will

soon get tired of staring at a

plywood box every night.’

- Darryl Zanuck, 1946

‘Shagging sells everything.’

- Eddie Izzard, 1994

As boundaries widened, Cadbury

found itself exploring the potential of

sexuality as a lever for persuasion.

As chocolate is bought mostly on

impulse, some Cadbury ads – such as

that pictured – aimed to ally

consumer impulses with sexual

impulses to reinforce desire for the

product.

Undoubtedly the greatest leap in

advertising came with the debut of

commercial television in 1955. Ads

became shorter; frequency increased

meteorically. Advertisers learnt the best

way to take advantage of this new medium

was to repeatedly reinforce subconscious

desires – to ‘stick in peoples’ minds’.

Jingles (“Everyone’s a fruit and nut case”,

“Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was

Cadbury’s?”) were one of Cadbury’s

favourite methods of doing this

1905 – Cadbury Dairy Milk1908 – Cadbury Bournville

Chocolate1915 – Cadbury Milk Tray

1920 – Cadbury Flake1923 – Cadbury Crème Eggs

1929 – Cadbury Crunchie1938 – Cadbury Roses1948 – Cadbury Fudge

1970 – Cadbury Curly Wurly1983 – Cadbury Wispa1987 – Cadbury Twirl

1992 – Cadbury Timeout

List taken from http://www.englishteastore.com/cadbury-history.html, © Online Stores Inc. 2009

The 20th Century MarketThis list charts the evolution

of Cadbury products and

therefore its market.

Comparing those products

highlighted red with those

highlighted green, it can be

seen that Cadbury gradually

sought to develop unique

selling propositions – new,

unique chocolates (Flake,

Crème Eggs, Crunchie).

Comparing the blue products to the orange, the progression of

Cadbury’s target market – adults to children – is quite obvious.

Names like “Curly Wurly” and “Wispa” obviously are aimed to

appeal to younger consumers

Alternative AdvertisingCadbury has always stood at the forefront of advertising; unsurprisingly, they

have often exploited some more unusual mediums for promoting their products.

For example:

1902 -- Tours of Cadbury factories commence. By 1938, over 150,000 people

will be taking the tour every 12 months.

1934 -- free miniature metal animals given away in special tins of Cadbury

cocoa.

1990 -- “Cadbury World” opens. Over 350,000 people visit in its first year.

1996 -- Cadbury starts sponsoring TV soap ‘Coronation Street’ for 10,000.₤These ads chart both the development of Cadbury’s market, and the

development of advertising techniques. Information-heavy methods of

promotion - i.e. tours - are both aimed more at adults and more representative

of older advertising trends. The ‘freebie’ marks the beginning of subtler

techniques – not directly associated with the actual product, ‘the peripheral

route of persuasion’. The campaigns from the nineties are, as per modern

trends, specially designed for a specific demographic: two target audiences,

two campaigns. One campaign is specially tailored for children (World), the

other for adults (Corrie).

21st Century Advertising‘Nowadays…we are more sophisticated, and the adverts are generally more sophisticated. They have stories, and graphics, and cryptic adverts where you have the work out what they’re talking about and then you go “Oh, I see” and then you don’t buy it.’

- Eddie Izzard

.

Modern advertising is always outsourced – hence the

multi-billion dollar industry surrounding it.

The peripheral route of persuasion, mentioned

previously, is a psychological idea currently at its

peak. Modern ads target the subconscious, fuelling an

unconscious desire for a product.

Ads are nowadays just as, if not more, famous than

their product. One could say that the unique selling

proposition has been replaced by the unique

advertising proposition. New ads get more attention

than new products. Cadbury has always been amongst

the more creative of advertisers and therefore has

exploited this well – for example…

Ad Analysis: GORILLAThis television ad features a gorilla enthusiastically drumming to the Phil

Collins hit ‘In the Air Tonight’. First, a series of close-ups watch the gorilla

readying himself; next, a wider shot shows him drumming; finally, the

Cadbury logo is shown alongside the motto: “A glass and a half full of joy.”

• This ad targets both Cadbury’s juvenile and adult markets. Children will react to the “coolness” of drumming; adults will recognise the old song.

• The ad aims to ally the brand with a sense of euphoria. Viewers, subconsciously, begin to associate Cadbury products with joy.

• The video of this ad has received over six million views on YouTube. Intense interest in the ad, theoretically, will fuel interest in the product.

• The ad follows modern advertising trends: use of the peripheral route of persuasion, relying on subconscious stimulation of desire rather than logical arguments.

• The opening close-ups reveal information gradually to keep viewers curious and therefore sustain interest in what is, comparatively, quite a long ad.

GORILLA: Other Analyses

Reactions to “GORILLA” varied widely. Cadbury claimed that ad single-

handedly reinvigorated the company, and it was in fact cited in the company’s

financial reports. Certainly, the popularity of the ad is undeniable. However,

other sources claim the ad was a commercial flop. They say that in the twelve

months after the ad’s release, Cadbury sales increased by 2% while its main

rival’s increased by 12%.

Harsher critics claim that the ad is not even an ad at all. Marketing expert Dr.

Stephen Downes labeled the ad a “publicity stunt” and a mere “sponsored

piece of entertainment.” He questions whether, in the future, advertising

agencies will be used at all. An “auteur” like Cabral, or perhaps a music video

director, will create a 30-second mini-movie with a brand name stuck

randomly on the end.

“GORILLA”, as it became known, was the brainchild of advertising agency

Fallon London – specifically Juan Cabral, who is credited as copyright holder,

creative director and art director. A far cry from John Cadbury personally

creating early Cadbury ads.

Ads Aplenty

Controversy struck in 2011, when African-American diva

Naomi Campbell complained that an ad comparing her

to chocolate (pictured) was “racist”. Although authorities

deemed the ad acceptable, it was nevertheless pulled to

avert bad publicity.

It is interesting that soon after the American Kraft Foods

took over Cadbury in 2010, an ad involving an American

appeared. Kraft obviously sees the USA as chocolate’s

biggest market.

Whatever its wider impact, Cadbury was enamoured with its

new advertising campaign. Following Gorilla came other ads

aimed at "losing yourself and embracing that moment of joy”

[as Cadbury marketing director Phil Rumbol put it]: trucks

racing to Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ (or Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on

a Prayer’ for America – playing to the market again), or two

children wiggling their eyebrows to a funk beat.

Advertising is all about

playing to the market. Via

Facebook and other Internet

sites, it is plausible that soon

Cadbury ads could be specifically designed for

individuals (using a person’s

details to determine with

which ad to target them, etc.)

Critics claim that Kraft, having taken over the

company, may substitute Cadbury’s creativity with more

conventional ads (compare the creativity of GORILLA with the simple satire of “Move

over Naomi”)

The internet has become a

massive new medium for

ads (6 million views of

‘Gorilla’ on YouTube). It is

likely that Cadbury will

further explore the

Internet’s potential over

the coming years.

With Kraft’s takeover, it is

likely that Cadbury ads will

target the American market more and more

(as with the “Move over

Naomi” campaign).

Modern Cadbury ads have already

stopped espousing the product. In the

future, Cadbury ads may indeed become mere “sponsored

entertainment.”

The Company Tomorrow?

BibliographyPrice, S (2004) 1001 Dumbest Things Ever Sent, USA, First Lyon Press

Izzard, E (1994) ‘Unrepeatable’ [VCR], UK, Ella Communications Production, dir: Gordillo, J

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Cadbury. 2009. Into the 21st Century. Available at: www.cadbury.ie/cadburyandchocolate/ourstory/advertising/Pages/21stcentury.aspx. Accessed 8/2/12

BBC News. 2010. In pictures: Cadbury adverts . Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8468317.stm. Accessed 8/2/12

Cadbury. 2009. Cadbury Advertising: Key Dates. Available at: www.cadbury.co.uk/cadburyandchocolate/ourstory/advertising/Pages/advertising.aspx. Accessed 9/2/12

The Guardian (UK). 2010. Cadbury: a 186-year-old history. Available at: www.guardian.co.uk/business/interactive/2009/sep/07/cadbury-185-years-old-history. Accessed 9/2/12

Downes, S. 2008. Cadbury’s gorilla tactics: the end of advertising as we know it?. Available at: www.crikey.com.au/2008/11/07/cadburys-gorilla-tactics-the-end-of-advertising-as-we-know-it/. Accessed 10/2/12

Bibliography

The Guardian (UK). 2011. Cadbury's Naomi Campbell ad not racist, rules watchdog. Available at: www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/20/cadbury-naomi-campbell-ad-not-racist. Accessed 10/2/12

'Smart Company'. 2008. Cadbury’s drumming gorilla ad doesn’t get the chocolates. Available at: www.smartcompany.com.au/advertising-and-marketing/cadbury-s-drumming-gorilla-ad-doesn-t-get-the-chocolates.html. Accessed 13/2/12

Marrs, C. 2008. Cadbury's releases Queen Dairy Milk Trucks ad on YouTube. Available at: www.brandrepublic.com/news/798225/. Accessed 13/2/12

Sweeney, M. 2009. Cadbury's ad raises an eyebrow. Available at: www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/23/cadburys-ad-eyebrow. Accessed 15/2/12

Moore, M. 2008. Cadbury hopes 'Trucks' will rival the gorilla. Available at: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1583462/Cadbury-hopes-Trucks-will-rival-the-gorilla.html Accessed 15/2/12

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YouTube. (2007). Cadbury's Gorilla Advert Aug 31st 2007. [Online Video]. 31 August. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnzFRV1LwIo. Accessed: 20/2/12

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