Brand Analysis: Cadbury`s Dairy Milk :

A journey of success
16 Feb
Cadbury`s Dairy Milk (CDM) has had an amazing journey in India, and is an excellent case study in how
a brand can become a success story, gaining extensive market shares (it is close to 70 right now with all
extensions, 30 alone) and become almost a generic name Ior chocolates in India. Let us Iollow this
journey and see what things Cadbury must have done right to achieve the kind oI success it has.
Phase 1:
Who here does not remember the iconic campaign below run by Cadbury:
This ad Iirmly established an awareness Ior CDM in the country. It brought together cricket, youth and a
simple but catchy music in a Iine blend. But that is not the most important aspect oI the ad.
The most important aspect was the projected audience oI the ad, the TG being targeted. The TG was No
Longer limited to kids. It was about every age group oI liIe, from kids to adults. This ad brought in adults
into the ambit oI TG Ior the product. The campaign positioned Cadbury to be seen associated with the
special quality` that all oI us possess and are particularly proud oI (kuch khaas hai ham sabhi mein)
Cadbury efforts were focussed on expanding the market pie simultaneously with its share in it.
Phase 2:
What next? Cadbury wanted to increase the number oI occasions Ior chocolate consumption. They realized
that CDM might be an impulse buy, but it was not an impulse consumption. When the impulse buy to
impulse consumption transition takes place, the Irequency as well as quantity oI purchase goes up.
Hence, they did the simplest thing that can be done to do so. They gave the users more reasons to eat
chocolates through the Iollowing ad:

The reasons too were such that they actually indicated that almost any reason suIIices Ior CDM
consumption.
Phase 3:
Chocolate consumption is always seen as an act oI indulgence and selI-pampering by the individual. Hence,
Cadbury hit upon the idea oI associating CDM with happiness. A range oI spaced apart advertisements,
such as the ones shown below talk about connecting CDM to happiness, and that too not in the Iorm oI
major achievements, but as the simple things in liIe that brings a smile to one`s Iace.
Following were some oI the ads:

This was Iollowed up by positioning CDM as the means to celebrate happiness in both small and big things
in liIe. The Ioundation was laid about CDM being the celebration mode, using the Iamous pappu paas ho
gaya campaign with Amitabh Bacchan. This was the Iirst connect to CDM being usable as sweets` (it was
presented as substitute to sweets, but the subtlety oI the same was well handled)


Phase 4:
They have now recently started going Iull-Iledged about CDM as a sweet-substitute. Cashing in
on occasions oI sweet consumption, such as beginning new endeavors (shubh aarambh), CDM has put
itselI as a possible replacement Ior sweet (and a delightIul one at that). The campaign sticks to the original
backdrop oI simple things in liIe that bring a smile to Iace.


This has been the amazing journey oI CDM in India, a journey deIining success by the very book
expanding market size as well as the market share. Hope to see the brand carrying on the legacy it has
already developed