The Role of Package Designing in Enhancing Sales of Cadbury

Abstract

The project focuses around the Cadburys’ use of different designs in its packaging of Cadbury products which has helped Cadbury build a strong consumer base in the market and increased its sales. The project contains images of Cadbury products packed creatively and attractively. It also shows the product packaging on different occasions like Diwali, Rakshya Bandhan etc. It also encompasses the result of an online survey conducted with regard to the project to analyze the target audience response towards the brand Cadbury. The project is basically based on the readings of different documents and articles and the result of the online survey conducted originally by me.

Introduction

If the cover is good, anything can be sold” A good package design not only attracts the attention of the audience but also tempts them to buy the product even if they may not have the need to buy that particular product at that moment. When we refer to package designing, we talk about the layout, graphics, container or any other visual outer presence of the product. In this competitive market era, it creates a necessity for the product manufacturer to give a unique look to their product that makes it stand out in the parity. When the shelves in the stores are filled with loads of product, consumer just quickly scans them all and grabs the one that captures his/her attention. So, as a product manufacturer, it becomes necessary to make your product click the mind of the consumers within that fraction of time. Earlier the product designing was not given that much of importance as there were not many products of parity, but as the time passed, the number of companies with the product in common providing the same features and benefits also grew up like mushrooms. Package is designed to capture the attention of the target audience and it affects whether a consumer is interested in buying the product or not which directly affects the sales of a product. Packaging requires innovation and creativity to come in role. The consumer may then give it a pick or throw as per the interest that is created by the product. In this report, the role of package designing is seen in enhancing the sales of Cadbury.

Objective of the Report

• To study the role of packaging in increasing sales.
• To look at its need in the market.
• To study the necessity of creative packaging in the marketplace.
• To analyze consumers approach towards the creativity used in packaging.
• To highlight the positive aspects of creative packaging.

Hypothesis: To get positive outlook to the research topic based on the readings and survey to be conducted for analyzing the topic. In order to go about the project, I read different articles and documents which were similar to the topic and related to marketing of Cadbury and also of different brands. Also a short survey will be active for a short period of time to gather responses. Now, let’s see how Cadbury started as a brand in the market.

Cadbury originated in the 1820’s from a grocery store owned by a family in Birmingham, England. John Cadbury was the founder of Cadbury.

The family started to produce cocoa and drinking chocolate. In 1840’s, the first consumable chocolates appeared in the stores. Decorative packaging in boxes and tins following the English legacy became an important element in the field of advertising and marketing for the Cadbury products. Cadbury packaged tray boxes for sales and introduced the purple color which eventually became the identifying characteristic for Cadbury. During 1930s, the company recruited famous artists in order to design chocolate boxes. With the increase in competition and cost considerations, the innovative packaging minimized during the postwar years.

The popular designs and innovative packaging made it easy for the consumers to identify it as Cadbury products. As per the research, Cadbury was formerly known as Cadbury’s. It is owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It’s a British multinational confectionery company. After Wrigley’s, it’s the second-largest confectionery brand in the world. Over the years, Cadbury has used new packaging designs and style in surprisingly amazing ways which has made its products stand out of the lot. Whether being a chocolate, a health drink, candies or toffees or biscuits etc., Cadbury has always shown its creative side to the customer shopping at the stores. Bournvita, Cadbury COCOA, Oreo, Bournville, Five Star, Cadbury Eclairs, Perk and Dairy Milk etc. are few of its products.

Cadbury leads the chocolates industry with such a strong product lines. Along with this number of products which flood the market space, Cadbury brings in even more number of designs in order to attract the desired target audience. Cadbury gets one of the main advantages above its other competitive brands from its ability to market its product with differentiating themes and a power line of products that range large in number. Cadbury also smartly designs its each and every promotion and also brings out a wide range of packaging for its consumers. This helps the brand in positive spread of its message and hence, increases its demand in the market. The marketing communications along with the superior taste of Cadbury products and its consistency in the market have provided a strong brand equity to the brand.

Cadbury uses its strategic approach and designs products to coincide with occasions like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Diwali, Rakshya Badhan and other landmark days in the year. Cadbury uses marketing strategies such as the “Choose Cadbury” strategy (The ‘Choose Cadbury’ strategy for marketing has ‘the glass and a half’, corporate purple, and the script of Cadbury) in order to encourage the link between chocolate and these events so as to ensure the availability of suitable product for every occasion. This also provides the surety of Cadbury reaching out the masses to each and every sphere and fulfilling the needs and requirements of its consumer base.

Another major strategy of Cadbury can be dated back to 2007 under the name Purple Goes Green. In 2007, Cadbury brought out their Purple Goes Green initiative as an environmental initiative. The objective of the program was to reduce packaging costs as in to increase manufacturing efficiency to remain competitive in the market. Cadbury introduced Treasure Easter Eggs which were packaged in foil minus the traditional egg box in 2008. This new packaging used 65 percent less cardboard and 75 percent less plastic which saves 2000 trees. This new package design was tested for the Roses and Heroes Christmas products in 2009 by replacing the tins with the cardboard boxes. This new packaging saved tons of steel, the fact that it weighs less saves the shipping costs. The environmental aspect, and enhancing manufacturing and creating attractive package designs are the focus points of Cadbury packaging strategy as Purple Goes Green.

In November, 2013 Mondelez International redesigned packaging for Cadbury Dairy Milk in UK. It modernized the font and also included QR code delivering interactive media content when it would activate on mobiles. Brighter colors used to make it easy to find the product on the shop shelves. The new packaging of Cadbury won a gold award at global Pent awards 2013. Cadbury was acquired by Kraft Foods in 2010 which was a struggling phase for Cadbury. So, the company used its candy packaging in order to uphold the product's reputation and evoke a whole new emotional response among consumers. Online Survey questionnaire In order to get audience’s opinion on the topic, I conducted an online survey by using zoho survey website and collected responses of 30 random people which gave the following analysis:

Survey Status: Closed

Completed Responses 30

Partial Responses 0

Q1 Do you think that a good package design is important for the sales of a product?

Response Percent Response Count

Extremely important 56.67% 17

Important 43.33% 13

Somewhat important 0.0% 0

Not at all important 0.0% 0

Q2 In a store, does the package of Cadbury attract you to purchase it rather than any other chocolate brand?

Response Percent Response Count

Yes, a lot 26.67% 8

Yes, to an extent 63.33% 19

Somewhat 10.0% 3

No, not that much 0.0% 0

Q3 Do you think, it is good for a brand to use creative packaging designs for the products to set a unique position out of the clutter?

Response Percent Response Count

Extremely important 36.67% 11

Very important 63.33% 19

Somewhat important 0.0% 0

Not at all important 0.0% 0

Q4 According to you, the different designs used by Cadbury on various occasions enhance its sales above other brands?

Response Percent Response Count

Yes, very much 33.33% 10

Yes, to an extent 63.33% 19

Somehow 3.33% 1

Not that much 0.0% 0

Q5 Cadbury with its various themes and unique designs sets top of the mind recall among the target audience?

Response Percent Response Count

Yes, very much 46.67% 14

Somewhat to an extent 53.33% 16

Not much 0.0% 0

No, not at all 0.0% 0

Q6 Does the color scheme, graphics, typography etc. used on the packaging of a product holds a significance for you as a consumer?

Response Percent Response Count

Yes, very much 36.67% 11

Yes 53.33% 16

Somewhat 10.0% 3

Not at all 0.0% 0

Q7 Do you prefer “Cadbury Celebrations” as a gift over other brands?

Response Percent Response Count

Very much 23.33% 7

Often 56.67% 17

Sometimes 20.0% 6

No 0.0% 0

Q8 Cadbury has connection with all the segments of the marketplace with its extreme range of products and wide variety of themes in packaging.

Response Percent Response Count

Strongly agree 23.33% 7

Agree 73.33% 22

Neutral 3.33% 1

Disagree 0.0% 0

Strongly disagree 0.0% 0

Q9 Different design for different occasion has attracted a great consumer base for Cadbury.

Response Percent Response Count

Strongly agree 26.67% 8

Agree 73.33% 22

Neutral 0.0% 0

Disagree 0.0% 0

Strongly disagree 0.0% 0

Q10 A good package design allures the customer first, then the product.

Response Percent Response Count

Strongly agree 40.0% 12

Agree 50.0% 15

Neutral 10.0% 3

Disagree 0.0% 0

Strongly disagree 0.0% 0

Q11 Cadburys’ visual appeals are unique in its brand scale and hence, have been advantageous.

Response Percent Response Count

Strongly agree 23.33% 7

Agree 73.33% 22

Neutral 3.33% 1

Disagree 0.0% 0

Strongly disagree 0

Q12 The popular designs and innovative packaging makes it easy for the consumers to identify it as Cadbury products.

Response Percent Response Count

Strongly agree 40.0% 12

Agree 53.33% 16

Neutral 6.67% 2

Disagree 0.0% 0

Strongly disagree 0.0% 0

Q13 Do you think, Cadburys’ packaging design can grab customers attention in a small fraction of time?

Response Percent Response Count

Yes, very much 36.67% 11

To a little extent 63.33% 19

No, not that much 0.0% 0

No, not at all 0.0% 0

Q14 Package or the packing affects whether a consumer is interested in buying the product.

Response Percent Response Count

Strongly agree 27.59% 8

Agree 72.41% 21

Neutral 0.0% 0

Disagree 0.0% 0

Strongly disagree 0.0% 0

Q15 According to you, the package designing of Cadbury has an extreme role in enhancing its sales over the years.

Response Percent Response Count

Strongly agree 30.0% 9

Agree 63.33% 19

Neutral 6.67% 2

Disagree 0.0% 0

Strongly disagree 0.0% 0

Findings/Results

The above survey gives out a clear fact that the packaging does have role in the sale of a product, for this report Cadbury. The random people who gave response to the survey answered differently but mostly gave positive responses. Hence, do consider that package design is important when it come to the sales of a product.

Comparison

The above survey also gives out another aspect of Cadbury being the preferred brand for most of them. Also Cadburys’ package designs generating customers’ interest and attracting the buyers towards it than other brands under the same brand-scale. Cadbury uses differentiating designs for it product’s packaging which in not generally found in other companies like Nestle. Cadbury also makes use of festive occasions to promote its products and increase sales figures while this is not seen usually in Nestle.

Cadbury is seen to have a unique designs and themes in for the purpose of marketing which is less in other brands.

Conclusion

The above report which is based on reading of different articles and documents on the similar topics of marketing and various other topics and the survey work done by me brings out the conclusion that package designing plays a key role in the increase of sales of Cadbury. Consumers mostly prefer to go for packaging when a product is new to the market. Also in order to survive in the marketplace, the company needs to make the outlook attractive enough that it generates attention and desire in the mind of the audience. Future Scope The scope of this topic is vast. The areas that it can cover are limitless. From simply going over the package designs to the complex marketing strategies over choosing of these designs can be involved. Also the research can include statistic facts based on practical study.