Uplifting concept

The latest idea to beat off the other venture teams in the new product development case study went in the direction of functional food, just like many groups in the past, only this idea really hit home.

The concept worked for a number of reasons.

One: it wasn’t reinventing the wheel. UP is like a tag-on, a brand extension to Cadbury products already on the market. So you’d have your standard Crunchie, then your Crunchie UP. That’s a neat growth strategy.

An eye-catching campaign idea.

Two: the function of UP addresses a genuine need. It doesn’t leave you feeling tired and full, especially on the key occasion most people would eat a snack - sometime late morning or during the afternoon. Milky Way in the UK tried this concept for many years, to get round mothers’ concern that feeding children between meals would mean they’re not hungry later: “The snack you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite”. Not the snappiest of slogans. UP is more to the point.

Three: the slogan addresses the usage occasion and the benefit.

Four: the advertising concept is a stunner. It puts the product in the exact location of the benefit. You see the product and the benefit in one.

There is only one drawback to the concept, which we didn’t discuss last Friday but would have to be ironed out with the sales department: would these products sit on the shelf next to the “standard” products, or would they be placed separately? Also, should we expect any cannibalisation? The trade fights tooth and nail over ever inch of shelf, so getting the new range extensions into shops could be a challenge.

But in terms of the concept, it’s a winner!