Mondelez India brings Cadbury's chocolate flavour to cookies

After covering a cookie from the outside, Cadbury chocolate will now fill it up from the inside. 2019 saw the launch of a Cadbury Oreo variant which was coated in Cadbury chocolate from the outside. 2017 saw the launch of an Oreo variant of Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk – Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk Oreo followed by Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk Oreo Red Velvet, intended to give the chocolate a 'Cookies and Creme' flavour. The newest launch from Mondelez is a variant of cookie which boasts of a chocolate Cadbury filling. The cookie looks suspiciously similar to Sunfeast's Dark Fantasy cookie and is yet to be advertised.

Commenting on the latest product, Sudhanshu Nagpal, associate director – marketing (biscuits), Mondelez India, says, “The launch of Cadbury Chocobakes choc-filled cookies stems from our endeavour to create and redefine categories. We have always looked at growing the consumption pie by expanding the brand’s narrative and leveraging occasions. With the iconic taste of Cadbury at its core, we believe that Cadbury Chocobakes choc-filled cookies will further strengthen our position in the fast-emerging Choco-bakery segment and consolidate our foothold in the snacking domain.”

The launch of Cadbury Chocobakes Cookies will be supported by a 360-degree communication campaign, designed to bring to the fore the company’s latest innovation, and will include a new TVC, outdoor, print and digital campaigns coupled with in-store visibility. Cadbury Chocobakes Choc-filled Cookies is priced at Rs 30 for a 75g pack and Rs 60 for a 150g pack.

Kedar Teny, chief strategy officer, Tilt Brand Solutions, feels that a company like Mondelez India already has a strong brand equity in the market with products like Cadbury Dairy Milk. "Brands of this stature can easily stretch themselves in order to experiment in adjacent categories which have a reason for them to have a play in. Cookies have transcended from the motherly-bakery feel. A cookie is now a lot more indulgent and it is a dessert in itself, it's a happy space for the brand to experiment in," says Teny.

"Sunfeast is not about chocolate, but they have a role to play in cookies - that's why they infused chocolate into the Dark Fantasy cookie. Similarly, Cadbury has a right to play in that category since biscuits are not completely new to Cadbury either. Bakery products are not new to them, they're just finding a way to push for new consumption occasions for the Cadbury chocolate now," he explains.

Ekta Relan, national planning director, Mullen Lintas, points out that extending into new categories with a Cadbury choco-filled product is the most obvious and attractive opportunity for the brand - "and yes, it will compete with the Sunfeast Dark Fantasy Choco-filled range and similar cookies," she adds.

"Look at Oreo, its core is cookies, but it has extended to chocolate candy bars. But the more interesting thing is that you get Oreo ice creams, Oreo milkshakes, and the works. Some of these are through official partnerships and many without. This is the power of love for a particular taste," says Relan.

She takes the example of a brand closer home in India - Amul, which dabbles in everything made of milk – be it milk, ice cream, ghee and cheese. Similarly, Cadbury has the opportunity to become a part of every food product that can be made with the Cadbury chocolate in it, be it cookies or choco milkshakes, or choco ice cream," she explains.

"The logic is that everyone who loves the chocolate would love to have the same taste in other food categories as well, especially the ones who grew up on it. So I think leveraging the business opportunity of choco-filled food extensions is great. Chocolate based indulgent cookies is anyway a category growing in double digits, so cookies make great sense," Relan adds.

She explains that for brands, it is a proven growth strategy and that it is especially effective when the brand core is embedded in the product itself and is not just a perceptive or emotional promise. "In personal care, Dove successfully extended its core of ‘moisturising’ from soap to multiple categories where moisturising could be the key benefit – hair, skin etc. In this case, it is the taste of Cadbury chocolate," she concludes.