Mondelez celebrates 30 years in travel retail
Dogus Kezer, Mondelez World Travel Retail Marketing Director, outlines the company's plans to celebrate three decades in travel retail and looks to the future
Mondelēz International is celebrating 30 years in travel retail this year, marking three decades of innovations, a focus on personalization and a forward-thinking approach to changing consumer trends in the confectionery category.
Global Travel Retail Magazine speaks with Dogus Kezer, Mondelez World Travel Retail Marketing Director, on reaching milestones, meeting the needs of Gen Z consumers, the strength of the Toblerone brand and a growing focus on mindful and sustainable snacking.
Global Travel Retail Magazine (GTR Magazine): Let’s start with the lead-up to celebrations for Mondelez’s 30th year in travel retail this year. The company is a leader in innovative marketing, what’s in store? Are you going to share the celebrations with travelers?
Dogus Kezer (Kezer): As Mondelēz International celebrates its 30th year in travel retail, we are excited to celebrate our rich legacy and heritage with our industry peers. This achievement is a moment of great reflection on the past three decades, commemorating every success and opportunity that has propelled us to become a pioneering force within the channel.
We look forward to sharing this occasion with our valued partners; in travel retail, success is built on the collaboration of the Trinity and that has never been more true for Mondelez WTR. This milestone in particular will adopt an industry approach as opposed to a consumer-facing one. We aim to showcase the hard work, determination and teamwork that has contributed to our strong standing as a category leader within travel retail.
In addition, we will continue to delight shoppers all year round through activations and innovative campaigns that are meaningful to them, such as Cadbury’s 200th Anniversary celebration.
GTR Magazine: Another big celebration as Cadbury hits 200 this year. Will its ‘Yours for 200 Years’ campaign feature in travel retail? Are any channel-exclusive products included in the plans?
Kezer: Cadbury has grown from a Birmingham-based chocolate shop to a British and global favorite. Over the past 200 years, the brand continues to carry its distinct British heritage, holding special significance in the United Kingdom, its home country. But its iconic Dairy Milk taste goes beyond borders, enjoyed by people around the world.
As an iconic chocolate brand, it’s only fitting that we celebrate 200 years of Cadbury with a bang. Mondelez WTR is marking this huge milestone with several activations across airports in the UK to celebrate the popular chocolate. At every step of the journey, passengers can celebrate with us. Before entering duty free, they are met with an eye-catching digital campaign, alluding to the excitement that awaits. Once inside, they can enjoy sample tastings or participate with a Spin to Win wheel, to stand a chance to win thousands of prizes. Travelers can also purchase an exclusive gift or souvenir with a Cadbury Dairy Milk 850g Limited Edition bar, featuring a unique design that celebrates British heritage.
To further enhance the celebrations, Mondelez WTR is partnering with Avolta at Stansted Airport to amplify the campaign through Emotion+. From web banners to airport screens to newsletters and additional paid media opportunities, this partnership will increase visibility and delight around an occasion that only comes around every 200 years.
GTR Magazine: What is Mondelez WTR doing to ensure its gifting options are ready to meet the demands of Gen Z travelers? And which brands will play key roles?
Kezer: Mondelez WTR is continuously evolving its gifting options to resonate with the preferences and expectations of Gen Z travelers, ensuring that our offerings are relevant and appeal to this dynamic demographic. Understanding the importance of personalized experiences and innovative products, we curate a range of choices that cater to the distinct tastes and values of this growing audience.
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The Toblerone sleeve printer enables personalization at Unifree Duty Free
Key brands within our winning portfolio, like Toblerone, play a pivotal role in this endeavor. We leverage the brand’s popularity and heritage to create compelling gifting options that resonate with Gen Z travelers, who value authenticity and innovation. For example, the Toblerone sleeve printer engages with this audience by offering greater personalization options. Our cutting-edge technology can add text and images to the Toblerone sleeve to make for a truly unique gift that can be shared with loved ones. In addition, we build brand connections and enhance the purchase moment with Gen Z shoppers through digital touchpoints like photo boxes.
We have extensively researched the behaviors of the younger generation to understand their unique needs. By leveraging data-driven insights we have developed a strategy that aligns with their values and interests. Our latest version for our State of Snacking report shows that 78% of survey respondents said they appreciate their snack more when consumed mindfully. Consumers see snacks as a way to boost both physical and mental health. Portion size is a key factor for mindful snacking, as it helps shoppers to feel in control of their snacking choices without a sense of sacrifice.
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Exclusive products play a key role in Mondelez World Travel Retail's strategy in the channel
We believe in delivering mindful moments of indulgence through our packaging and product sizes. We have expanded our travel retail portfolio to include more sharing and gifting options, featuring mini versions of our most popular brands. This makes it easy for consumers to snack but more importantly, share a moment of indulgence with friends and loved ones.
GTR Magazine: Let’s look at Toblerone’s New Equity concept. Does that new look and feel, ‘Never Square’ target a specific demographic?
Kezer: Mondelez WTR is presenting a new look and feel for travel’s favorite chocolate. Toblerone New Equity injects a delicious dose of originality into a standardized world with its new premium concept. The bold new brand purpose, ‘Never Square’, celebrates the rich heritage of originality while underlining the special flavor profile of the beloved icon synonymous with travel.
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The New Equity strengthens Toblerone’s strategic positioning as a progressive and unique brand, further amplifying Mondelez WTR’s efforts to engage with the younger generation of travelers, who are expected to make up 50% of the flying population by 2030. Gen Z and Gen Y shoppers value experiences, originality, creativity and inclusivity, perfectly aligning with the concept’s key pillars.
The messaging is an expression of the personality of Toblerone as it evolves to meet the changing needs of the travel retail channel. To achieve this, Mondelez WTR is focused on the premium perception and gift worthiness, increasing Toblerone’s desirability and relevance to ensure that, for generations to come, Toblerone remains travel’s favorite chocolate.
GTR Magazine: Mindful and sustainable snacking. What changes are being made in the strategy for the coming five years and why?
Kezer: Mondelez WTR recognizes that consumers are increasingly looking for snacking options that not only taste great but also align with their personal nutrition and lifestyle goals. This, coupled with the growing trend of self-care and self-gifting amongst young travelers, means that the category needs to evolve to meet the expectations of today’s shoppers.
Mondelez WTR has adopted a unique ‘snacking made right’ strategy, with most of our portfolio falling under the snacking category. In our 2023 State of Snacking report, 78% of survey respondents across 12 countries said they appreciate their snacks more when consumed mindfully. Consumers see snacks as a way to boost both physical and mental health. Portion size is a key factor for mindful snacking, as it helps shoppers feel in control of their snacking choices without a sense of sacrifice.
We believe in delivering mindful moments of indulgence through our packaging and product sizes. We have expanded our travel retail portfolio to include more sharing and gifting options, featuring mini versions of our most popular brands. This makes it easy for consumers to snack mindfully but equally importantly, share a moment of indulgence with friends and loved ones.
We apply our snacking strategy across our entire portfolio. We evaluate every snack format to see how it fits into the travel retail environment. If it meets the needs of passengers, then we are always open to introducing new offers for our traveling consumers.
GTR Magazine: Mondelez reported solid top-line results and robust earnings for Q1 2024 despite ongoing challenges. How can Mondelez World Travel Retail keep one step of its competitors?
Kezer: Despite challenges across the industry, we continue to grow and find new creative ways to increase footfall and conversion. As we anticipate the upcoming summer season in the northern hemisphere, which is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, we are thrilled to introduce a selection of new Toblerone products aimed at delighting passengers and enhancing their experiences.
Advancing our winning portfolio is essential to driving greater penetration and accelerated conversion. By continuously progressing our offerings we aim to cater to the specific preferences of different nationalities in each market. This involves providing tailored value propositions and targeted promotions that align with the evolving needs of the traveler.
The strategic focus of our evolved category vision underscores Mondelez WTR’s commitment to constantly innovating, not only for the sake of growing our own market share, but for the greater good of the category. Through this, we aim to ensure a more engaging and rewarding experience for all travelers.
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