“Indians have always had a sweet tooth; had to create the category”: Inderpreet Singh, on 50 years of Choclairs

To celebrate 50 years of Choclairs in India, Mondelēz India has created a new campaign. The company has worked with influencers to create an AR filter that mimics the feeling of eating the chocolate.

To learn more about the challenges that the brand faced in India, we caught up with Inderpreet Singh, business head for beverages, candies, meals and gums at Mondelēz. (Note - in 2013, Cadbury Eclairs were renamed Cadbury Choclairs.)

He begins the conversation by mentioning that they had to create a category for the product when it was first launched in India. “As a nation, we’ve always had a sweet tooth. When the product (originally called Eclairs) was launched, the format was innovative at the time.”

Mondelēz is hosting a contest where a golden ticket can be found in a pack of Choclairs. The ticket allows the buyer a chance to visit a Cadbury factory, sample sweets, take home the chocolates, and so on. The packaging of the 50-year celebration line is slightly different, but stays largely true to the purple and gold theme that Cadbury uses for its products.

Choclairs falls in the category of toffees and hard boiled candy. “There is both in-home and out of home consumption for this category, though pre-COVID, a large part of consumption used to happen out of home. People would buy the sweets for distribution, pick it up at a grocery store, or just eat little to satisfy a small sweet craving,” Singh explains.

“Now, people spend less time in grocery stores. They’re ordering things online more and there is a resurgence of purchases at local kirana stores. We have stocked up on all these distribution channels so that we were not hugely affected by COVID.”

Singh admits that during the first wave of lockdown, there were a few difficulties with distribution. But once the government intervened, the flow resumed.

There is no fixed age range for toffee consumption – everyone from young children to old people, indulge in a toffee every now and then. “The biggest change that COVID has brought about is that it has increased people’s anxieties. This is the time they would prefer to buy a tried and tested brand or a heritage brand, as opposed to trying a new product or brand.”

“Candy consumption happens in singles – as we call it. That’s one or two pieces being consumed at one time. Now, people are purchasing bigger packs of 50 for distribution and to stock up at home. Out of home consumption avenues, like colleges and schools, remain closed, though. We’ve seen a fall in occasions where people would congregate. Sweets would be consumed during such occasions. As things open up, this consumption avenue is expected to make a comeback too,” Singh signs off.