Fighting for sweet share of Easter purchases

Cadbury's traditional Creme Egg was part of the reason that sales of the company's Easter product range was lower in 2015 by £10 million. What happened? Parent firm Mondelez changed the recipe, angering loyal fans.

Contrast that to 2009, when Cadbury's sales were on the rise as UK consumers had a hearty appetite for chocolate Easter eggs.

Now Cadbury is fighting hard for a higher share of 2016 chocolate purchases as this year's Easter season approaches.

'To strengthen our positioning, we will continue to invest in power brands, launching new seasonal products and a brand new Easter pack design', says the marketing manager. To keep awareness high, the company recently launched a pop-up Creme Egg Cafe in London.

Meanwhile, competition is altering the marketing environment as Mars launches its new Galaxy Golden Eggs.

Knowing that approximately 80% of UK consumers purchase chocolate for Easter, Mars is targeting this large and lucrative market early--in direct competition with Cadbury Creme Eggs.