Cadbury's sweet stint

INCEPTION: Cadbury Dairy Milk (CDM) was launched in India in 1948 in Mumbai. It was the flagship chocolate brand of the then-Cadbury (now part of Mondelez International) across markets. There were not many chocolate brands marketed then and it became, at that point, synonymous with chocolates in India.

THEN AND NOW: Over the years, the product started getting manufactured in India, with the recipe being customised for the local palate. Cadbury admits that the recipe in India is the most-favoured despite there being many versions in different countries. It has consistently addressed a universal audience, across age groups. CDM's messaging has tried to make the brand culturally relevant to India.

One of its earliest-recalled advertisements in 1994, 'Kya swaad hai zindagi ka', depicting a girl running onto the cricket field and breaking into a joyous dance to celebrate victory, connected the brand for the first time to grown-ups, even as it reminded audience that there is a child in everyone. Another major shift came when it tried to equate the occassions of consumption of traditional sweets to those being fit for CDM consumption in 2005, with 'Kuch meetha ho jaye'. The same thought was extended to the 'Shubharambh' campaign running for the last three years. Besides, it has always advertised during festivals to push CDM for gifting.

The brand also absorbed products such as Fruit&Nut and Crackle (in the 1980s-90s) which started as standalone brands but are now marketed under CDM. While CDM Silk was scaled up as the more premium CDM since its launch in 2009, CDM Shots was targeted at smaller towns with a Rs 2 price-point in 2008 to increase the brand's reach.

NAMES BEHIND THE BRAND: Ogilvy & Mather's Piyush Pandey created the first memorable ad for CDM.

REINVENTED? It has reinvented itself not just by reaching new audience but also weathering a storm in recent memory.

The news of worms, in 2003, in a few CDM bars due to faulty packaging, as deemed by the FDA, had eaten up nearly 30 per cent of the brand's sales during festivities, which otherwise used to see an increase of 15 per cent. Cadbury imported machinery, overhauled the packaging, roped in Amitabh Bachchan to personally endorse the changes and the brand, without taking a hike in prices. From a metro-focused brand, it now reaches over a million stores - the most extensive compared to any of its markets.

The column, 50&Counting, will chronicle brands which have survived for 50 years and more in India. We decipher their good times and bad times.