Cadbury’s ‘Marvellous Creations’: Planning an effective campaign to increase
market penetration.
by Christian Elphick
17/10/20
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 3
CREATIVE EXECUTION ........................................................................................................................ 3
TVC Weak Theory ...................................................................................................................... 3
Distinctive Assets ....................................................................................................................... 3
MEDIA MIX ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Linear Television ........................................................................................................................ 4
Outdoor Media .......................................................................................................................... 5
Online ........................................................................................................................................ 5
MEDIA PLAN .................................................................................................................................... 5
Random Bursts .......................................................................................................................... 5
RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 6
CREATIVE EXECUTION ........................................................................................................................ 6
Direct and Indirect Branding ..................................................................................................... 6
Mode, Frequency, Duration & Timing of Entry .......................................................................... 6
MEDIA MIX ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Online/streaming TVC ............................................................................................................... 7
15’ TVC ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Online Banner............................................................................................................................ 7
Outdoor Media Positioning ....................................................................................................... 8
Media Consumption & Double Jeopardy ................................................................................... 8
Media Trends ............................................................................................................................ 8
MEDIA PLAN .................................................................................................................................... 9
Light Category Buyers ............................................................................................................... 9
Continuous Reach.................................................................................................................... 10
Primetime ................................................................................................................................ 10
CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 10
CLIENT BRIEF .................................................................................................................................. 12
Objective ................................................................................................................................. 12
Target Audience ...................................................................................................................... 12
Key Message ........................................................................................................................... 12
Specific Mandatories ............................................................................................................... 12
Recommended Media Channels .............................................................................................. 13
Budget and Timing .................................................................................................................. 13
Measurement Criteria ............................................................................................................. 14
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 16
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to evaluate the current advertising practices employed by
Cadbury in their ‘Marvellous Creations’ campaign. The advertising methods considered
include the selected media platforms, creative execution and media scheduling. The
implementation of these methods by Cadbury will be assessed in relation to brand recall,
consumer behaviour and brand penetration.
Creative Execution
TVC Weak Theory
Cadbury’s 30-second television commercial (TVC) aims to creatively introduce their new
product line, ‘Marvellous Creations’, whilst requiring low-level viewer attention. The
creative execution of the advertisement utilises ‘The Weak Theory’ advertising model, which
aims to build mental availability and increase the likelihood of the brand to be thought of in
purchasing situations (Sharp 2014, p. 177). This model is the opposite of ‘The Strong
Theory’ of advertising, which traditionally seeks to change consumer attitudes in a more
persuasive ‘hard sell’ format (Jones 1990, p. 237).
Distinctive Assets
Advertisements rarely persuade, instead, they creatively publicise brands, reminding
consumers that they exist (Ehrenberg et al. 2002, p. 8). The creative publicity Cadbury
employs is highly creative, attracting viewers by appealing emotionally and creating a
friendly, warm experience. Cadbury is not trying to persuade, but rather have consumers feel,
think and remember something about the brand.
While introducing their new product line, Cadbury simultaneously reminds consumers of
their distinctive assets within the brand. Distinctive assets are unique non-brand name
elements that indirectly feature in communications such as jingles, shapes and colours (Sharp
2017 p. 291). These assets can prompt the brand for category buyers in purchasing situations
(Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p. 87). For Cadbury, these include the colour purple, which
features prominently throughout the entire commercial and their ‘glass and a half-full’
symbol which takes centre stage in the TVC. The ‘Cadbury’ brand name does not feature
until the very end at 0:25 where it is first seen on the product.
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Advertisers can often decide not to make use of the brand name, concerned that it may
override the creative aspect of the advertisement if featured too prominently (Romaniuk,
cited in Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p. 101). Making use of distinctive assets can alleviate this
concern and increase branding content (Hartnett, cited in Romaniuk and Sharp 2016, p. 101).
Cadbury’s advertising execution favours a more creative approach, replacing where the
Cadbury logo text would most likely appear with the text ‘Joyville’. By implementing this
strategy, Cadbury avoids direct branding which could become repetitive, cause boredom and
potentially encourage the viewer to mentally disengage (du Plessis cited in Hartnett, Kennedy
& Romaniuk 2016, p. 22). However, it is important to note that not all distinctive assets or
brand elements hold the same strength. Visual imagery is more memorable and has greater
recall than written text (Hartnett, Romaniuk & Kennedy 2016, p. 22).
Cadbury has implemented its distinctive assets across all media platforms within their
campaign, not just in the TVC. Their distinctive ‘purple’ covers the tram advertisements,
street ad shells and in-store shopping displays and have again not emphasised their ‘Cadbury’
text logo. Cadbury’s ‘Welcome to Joyville’ creative strategy ties their campaign together
along with their distinctive assets in an attempt to create synergy for the product and the
brand.
Media Mix
Linear Television
The largest investment, taking up more than half of the advertising budget, is the TVC valued
at $900,000. Multi-platform campaigns that make use of television as a media vehicle
achieve greater results compared to those that don’t (Sharp 2017, p. 539). Cadbury’s sizeable
investment into television appears to be an informed decision, however, the TVC only
features on linear television and not on online television. In 2019, linear television accounted
for 69.70% of daily television consumption in Australia, while online accounted for the
remaining 30.30% (Petio 2020, p. 7). Cadbury’s TVC is currently lacking one-third of daily
television exposure.
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Outdoor Media
To compliment the TVC, Cadbury spent $540,000 on outdoor media which included an
outdoor billboard, ad-shells, a tram and in-store displays. Outdoor media advantages include
the high visibility it demands and the proximity to consumer purchases (Sharp 2017, p 525).
This is especially true for the in-store displays and tram advertisements which are positioned
in the direct path of customers. The benefit of Cadbury’s outdoor platforms is that they are
likely to reach people during different times of the day and are not limited to a specific time
slot (Sharp et al. 2014, p. 2).
Online
Online advertising may seem attractive due to the large audiences they command; however,
the platform is highly fragmented with millions of websites (Sharp 2017, p. 525). One
potential benefit of social media is an advertisement going viral, shared among thousands,
with national and international reach. While Facebook could potentially assist in an
advertisement going viral, there is no guarantee the advertisement itself is viral. Furthermore,
Facebook considers advertisements as ‘viewed’ if they have had three seconds of engagement
compared to the one-minute metric used in television (Sharp 2017, p. 533). Advertisements
placed on Facebook are, therefore, difficult to measure.
Media Plan
Random Bursts
The media planned for the campaign begins strong, as a number of platforms are in use to
maximise cumulative reach. However, this only lasts for three months before the tram and
online banner are no longer scheduled. The plan lacks consistency as it does not increase
scheduling periods during holidays such as Easter and Christmas, when chocolate
consumption is likely to increase. Furthermore, for the last three months of the year, the only
advertisements scheduled are on Facebook; a near impossible task to support an entire
campaign during that time frame.
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Recommendations
Cadbury has implemented a creative strategy in their ‘Joyville” campaign, which is a good
starting point, as creativity assists in brand recognition in an oversaturated market (Sharp
2017, p. 540). While Cadbury has executed parts of their strategy effectively, several
adjustments can be implemented to improve brand recall.
Creative Execution
Direct & Indirect Branding
The campaign should combine direct and indirect branding within their advertisements.
Cadbury currently relies on its distinctive assets to indirectly link the brand with the product,
substituting the Cadbury name with ‘Joyville’. Distinctive assets can solely be used for brand
identification alone but doing so presents some risk (Hartnett & Romaniuk 2010, p. 4).
Consumer brand recall is higher and more correct when the brand name is supplemented or
paired with distinctive assets (Hartnett, Romaniuk & Kennedy 2016, p. 25)
Mode, Frequency, Duration & Timing of Entry
Brand execution tactics Cadbury can employ, specifically in their TVC, can be achieved with
four branding elements. The first two elements are mode and frequency, where a brand
should be communicated at least once verbally and at least four times visually (Hartnett
2020). While 'Cadbury' is verbally mentioned at the end, visually, the brand name can only be
seen once on the product. The brand name should appear more frequently and co-present with
Cadbury’s distinctive assets.
The remaining two elements are the duration and timing of entry. Displaying the brand early
has a positive effect on brand recall (Romaniuk J, 2009 p. 147). The ‘Cadbury’ brand name
should appear in the first third of the commercial and have spaces no longer than 10 seconds
without the brand name (Hartnett 2020). This will cover viewer attention coming in and out
of the commercial over the 30-second duration.
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Media Mix
Although the digital age has created more opportunities to reach audiences, media platforms,
digital or not, present their unique qualities and drawbacks (Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p.
110). When utilising a variety of media, ad awareness increases as each medium reaches a
consumer that the other does not, thus avoiding duplicated reach (Sharp 2017, p. 540).
Cadbury’s decision to incorporate a mix of media into their campaign is a good starting point
to achieve cumulative reach; however, the execution and delivery of such media can be
improved.
Online/streaming TVC
To increase Cadbury’s television presence, the TVC should utilise both television formats
and also be aired online/streaming services. By doing so, this will give the TVC an additional
exposure of 30.30% and be a significant inclusion, as television should form the basis of any
multi-platform campaign (Sharp 2017, p. 539). It is worth noting, that online television is a
self-paced media platform compared to linear television’s forced pace. This has implications
on advertising avoidance behaviour from viewers as they can stop, pause and fast forward
content.
15’ TVC
Cadbury should also consider making a 15-second edited ‘short’ version of their 30-second
TVC. In comparison, 15-second advertisements are approximately 20% cheaper, 80%
effective in recall and likeability and represent the same value in brand recognition
(Newstead & Romaniuk 2008, p. 3). The 30-second TVC can initially begin the campaign
followed by the 15-second edited version. This will allow Cadbury to reallocate expenditure
and increase the TVC airtime beyond the scheduled four months for continuous presence.
Online Banner
It is recommended that Cadbury removes the online banner from their campaign. The online
display could generate memories of their TVC, as the image is a screen shot taken from their
TVC. This exposure could have a synergistic effect, but repeated exposures are not nearly as
effective as the initial exposure to a new customer (Sharp 2017, p. 538). This will allow
Cadbury to reallocate the $200,000 to the remaining platforms to extend their reach.
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Outdoor Media Positioning
The outdoor media platforms should be located where Cadbury’s product is sold or as close
as possible. Advertising builds mental availability, which the consumer can access more
easily providing physical availability of the product is nearby (Romaniuk & Sharp 2016,
p.114). The tram and ad-shells are important placements for consumers who use public
transport, particularly those who use it to do their grocery shopping. Billboards do generate
high visibility, which would be beneficial if positioned near supermarkets. If the billboards
are located a considerable distance away from Cadbury’s physical product, such as on an
open highway, then it will be less successful in building mental availability.
Media Consumption & Double Jeopardy
The campaign’s combined online and social media presence represents only 13.5% of their
total campaign budget. This is disproportionately small considering online media, including
social and television, accounts for 54.4% of daily media consumption in Australia (Petio
2020, p. 4). When deciding which media platform to utilise, it is important to note that
consumer media behaviour follows the law of double jeopardy (Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p.
116). This means that media platforms that attract large numbers have audiences engaged for
longer, opposed to platforms that attract a small number of consumers which have shorter
engagement periods (Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p. 116).
Media Trends
Trends in media usage should be followed by Cadbury including new media platforms,
consumer engagement periods and whether it is a viable platform to advertise the Cadbury
brand. An example of an increasing trend is the use of mobile devices for online
consumption. Despite being the most used consumer devices in 2019, computers, laptops, and
tablets represent a decline of 11.78% since 2012, while online mobile device usage has more
than doubled (Petio 2020, p. 5).
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Media Mix Guide (Author's own 2020, unpublished).
Media Plan
Light Category Buyers
Cadbury’s media scheduling can be improved by knowing who to reach. The campaign is
currently targeting a 16 – 34-year audience and needs to be more inclusive of category buyers
than exclusive. Cadbury can achieve this by reaching mostly very light or non-buyers of the
category. Light buyers represent the many people who buy the brand once and a small share
of these buyers repeat purchase (Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p. 28). Approximately 20% of
sales are attributed to 50% of light buyers and are a brand’s largest continuous consumer
(Barnard N & Ehrenberg SC 1997, p. 7).
To reach light category buyers, Cadbury needs to schedule advertisements over the entire
year for maximum continuous reach and not in periodic ‘bursts’ (Sharp et al. 2014, p.3). It is
more effective to aim for 1+ reach by scheduling an advertisement once across several media
continuously than to show an advertisement repeatedly on one platform (Romaniuk & Sharp
2016 p. 122). This is essential as the biggest increase in brand share comes from the 0 to 1
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opportunity to see (OTS), the first exposure of the advertisement, not the repeated exposures
that follow (Taylor, Kennedy & Sharp 2009, p.2).
Continuous Reach
Cadbury’s current media schedule is heavily concentrated from January to April and then
tapers off for the remainder of the year. It may not be possible and/or costly to repurchase
media platforms evenly across the year, such as tram advertisements, but media that is easily
flexible should be distributed evenly.
As outdoor is purchased monthly, it would be beneficial to spread the billboard and ad-shell
advertisements out evenly to occupy the entire campaign year. By spacing advertisements,
audience memorability increases 10% – 20% compared to having them bundled together
(Sawyer, Noel & Janiszewski 2009, p. 3).
Prime Time
Cadbury’s 30-second TVC is currently aired during prime time, which should not be changed
as this time slot attracts the largest audience (Sharp et al. 2014, p. 1). The TVC should not be
aired more than once during prime time to avoid short-term duplication, which can be a
common mistake associated with large media platforms (Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p. 115).
Repeated daily exposures are not necessary as short-term effects of advertising can last up to
28 days (Beale 2020). The TVC could also be aired during the first or last spot in a
commercial break for greater exposure. Audiences leave at the beginning of an advertisement
break and try to return before their program begins again (Sharp 2017, p. 515).
Conclusion
To increase the chances of campaign success, every decision must be justified in order to
achieve maximum return on investment. Components of Cadbury’s campaign were suitably
executed, such as the use of creativity in a soft sell format. However, a campaign will not be
relevant to chocolate consumers if it does not reach with consistency across time. Cadbury’s
media scheduling lacked consistency and their audience could be expanded upon with
improved media platforms. By implementing the suggested scheduling, creative and media
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recommendations, Cadbury should achieve greater cumulative and unduplicated reach to all
buyers of chocolate. This should position the brand to attain greater mental availability
amongst consumers thus increasing growth and sales.
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CLIENT BRIEF
1. Objective
Cadbury’s objective is to determine direct sales resulting from their TVC while
simultaneously launching their new product line “Marvellous Creations” alongside their
Dairy Milk range. The second desired outcome is an increase in brand recognition, by
maintaining and building distinctive assets.
Chocolate and confectionary consumers need to think of Cadbury during purchasing
situations, therefore, buyers need not only be informed about ‘Marvellous Creations’ but also
have Cadbury brand associations refreshed. The campaign should creatively publicise the
product and brand. This will increase the likelihood of ‘Cadbury’ to be thought of in
purchasing situations (Sharp 2017, p. 467).
2. Target Audience
The campaign needs to target all chocolate consumers regardless of demographics including
light, medium, heavy and non-users. Market penetration and growth will only occur when
very light and non-consumers are attained (Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p.28).
3. Key message
The key message must introduce ‘Marvellous Creations’ as Cadbury’s new product to the
consumer. This message must be linked to category entry points: cues from which chocolate
consumers commonly experience and share (Romaniuk & Sharp 2016, p.70). To build a
strong brand, the key message must not be delivered persuasively with information, instead, it
must be delivered with an emotional appeal (Heath 2014, p.3).
4. Specific Mandatories
The campaign, notably the TVC, must showcase the ‘Cadbury’ brand name and co-present it
with Cadbury’s distinctive assets. Cadbury’s distinctive assets include the packaging ‘purple’
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colour and the ‘glass and a half’ logo. When incorporated into the campaign, these distinctive
assets will give Cadbury their distinct feel, and assist non and light buyers in identifying the
brand (Hartnett & Romaniuk 2010, p. 4).
The ‘Cadbury’ brand name must be communicated verbally. This will depend on media
platforms, but when possible, both visual and verbal brand appearances must be at the
beginning and during the advertisement, waiting until the end of the advertisement (brand
reveal) is to be avoided. The product itself should also appear in all advertisements.
‘Marvellous Creations’ is not only a new variety in the Cadbury line but also has a new
packaging shape and chocolate design. This is not only unfamiliar with non and light users
but also with heavy users, too.
5. Recommended Media Channels
Television is the recommended media platform in which the campaign should be based on.
As a media platform, it attracts the largest audiences and has a large cumulative reach in
which per-person costs are generally lower (Sharp et al. 2014, p. 1). Chocolate consumers
consist of all ages and genders, therefore supplementary media channels which complement
the creative theme should not have small or narrow target audiences.
Supplementary media channels can reach people in different environments in which
television cannot. These can include outdoor, such as billboards and ad-shells and where
media can reach people who are accessible during different times (Sharp et al. 2014, p. 2).
Media channels selected need to reach audiences at least once, striving for cumulative reach
and avoiding short term duplication (Sharp 2017, p. 539).
6. Budget & Timing
The budget should buy scheduled media which delivers the most unduplicated and
cumulative reach each week, month and quarter of the year. The total budget of 3m dollars
should be separated into one ‘working budget’ and one ‘non-working budget’ (Sharp 2017, p.
469). The ‘non-working’ budget is allocated for production costs of creative content and
should account for 20% ($600,000). The ‘working budget’ will account for the remaining
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80% (2.4m) and be used for purchasing scheduled media. Each week should account for
approximately 2% ($48,000) of the ‘working budget’ during the campaign year (Sharp et al.
2014, p.3).
However, exceptions should be accounted for during high seasonal demands including
Christmas and the Easter holidays. Expenditure should be increased leading up and during the
weeks of these occasions (Sharp et al. 2014, p.3). The increase in expenditure during these
times should not warrant complete removal of expenditure during low or off-seasons. During
these times, scheduled advertisements should only be reduced, allowing for continuous
presence throughout the entire year.
The campaign length will cover twelve months starting from the release of the product. This
will ensure audiences have a chance to view the advertisement before purchasing from the
category (Sharp 2016, p. 544).
7. Measurement Criteria
Tracking surveys will be conducted online to measure brand linkage and brand prompted
recall. Brand linkage surveys will require respondents to identify the brand with no branding
elements, while brand prompted recall will measure campaign recollection via brand prompts
(Sharp 2017, p. 480). The surveys will specifically need to establish whether or not
respondents have had an OTS based on their recent media viewing (Sharp 2017, p. 481). This
will identify whether the advertisement lacks effectiveness or if it just failed to reach the
sample.
The tracking surveys will be conducted quarterly with the first wave occurring directly after
the campaign launch. A direct comparison can then be made against previously launched
advertisements to identify effectiveness and improvement if any.
To determine sales driven by the TVC single-source data will be collected to determine
STAS. Participants with 1+ OTS will be compared against participants with no OTS during
the seven days before purchase. The STAS differential index is calculated by dividing the
Stimulated STAS percentage (purchases made by participants with 1+OTS) by the Baseline
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STAS (purchases made by participants with no OTS) to determine an increase or decrease in
sales (McDonald & Sharp 2005, p.9).
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