Milka's promotional campaign for cow chocolate (Milka)
A wonderful term coined by Seth Godin, a purple cow, has become a synonym in the marketing world for something unique and unusual that people remember.
In a market full of supply and in spaces saturated with content, we are not interested in the familiar and routine, but if we pass a purple cow on the road, there is no way we won't stop to look, and we will likely tell everyone we meet about it later.
At Milka they took this metaphor literally and for years the purple cow night has been an integral part of the brand.
But recently, with the return of the competing product to the shelves, Milka created an extraordinary campaign that actually pays homage to the competitor, the Red Cow of Elite Chocolate, which is owned by Strauss.
As I recall, at the end of April, all cow chocolate products were taken off the shelves due to salmonella remains found on the production line.
In the first two weeks after the recall, Milka chocolate's market share doubled from 20% in the milk chocolate charts to more than 40%.
Sales of the chocolate bars jumped from 800 thousand a week to one and a half million.
At the same time, like many other producers, Milka also raised prices by 25%, which should now serve the interests of both cows.
When branding and competition meet
This week, after many months, cow chocolate returned to the shelves and Milka decided to celebrate.
A puzzling move, it must be said, considering that this is its number one competitor in the country.
Apparently, Milka should be very worried at this point, since until the salmonella case the ratio between Milka chocolate sales and cow's chocolate was 1 to 3.
So what is behind the move?
Inbar Liebauer
, Marketing Director of Modelez in Israel and European countries: "The inspiration for the campaign came from Milka's core values that speak of tenderness - small and sincere gestures of tenderness and giving, tolerance and pleasantness between a man and his friend."
I hear Inbar talking and in my head I picture blond children helping a kind old man cross the road in the snow with his cow.
"It's not very Israeli," I remark to her, probably compared to cow's chocolate, which is the most Israeli there is.
Modelez, for those who don't know, is a huge American corporation behind many beloved brands, including Oreo, Toblerone, Cote d'Or,
Inbar disagrees with my opinion: "This is not a cultural issue. The entire campaign is built on the brand's core values, which are ultimately in the hearts of all of us. People love people and want to do good. We all need that and the current campaign brings it to light. This move reflected the values of Milka and proved that it is possible to create healthy competition and to celebrate with gestures of goodwill even in a competitive environment."
The 'Hi Cow, I Missed You' campaign first appeared on billboards and at the same time a conversation was created on social networks between the two brands.
It started with a post in which Milka tagged Chocolate Cow, which prompted a humorous conversation that was joined by Makufala and Timeout.
"We prepared a huge package of Milka products and arrived with them at the Strauss offices to wish them a soft return. In response, they also sent us a sweet box of Strauss products."
The conversation between the two brands on Facebook. (Photo: screenshot, Facebook)
What were the results of the campaign?
"Unlike normal campaigns, it is difficult to measure the success of this move in terms of sales. Firstly, because that was not the goal and secondly, because it came out at a time when cow's chocolate returned to the market and it was clear that people would come back to buy it. Therefore, we are measuring this campaign by responses and not by sales. The responses we received from consumers across the network were very encouraging and heartwarming. It was a correct and encouraging emotional move and that's why it's strong," says Inbar.
"Many people shared with us how much it spoke to them and how good it made them see a brand supporting another brand. Some told us that it moved them to tears and it made us realize that we hit an emotional and real point that touches us all - the consumer sentiment. Once you do things with good intentions out of your core values which are the basis, it fits very well with the brand."
A bit of sarcasm to conclude
You can't finish this sweet article without saying out loud what everyone is secretly thinking.
Nevertheless, all of this would not have come to fruition if not for the tragedy that shut down the production of cow chocolate for more than six months and caused Strauss heavy damages.
Against the background of the political situation, tensions and general cynicism in the media, gestures of goodwill like Milka's are a breath of fresh air in the advertising landscape, but beyond the beautiful words, this move perpetuates, more than anything else, Strauss's failure.
In the subtext, he reminds anyone who forgot or didn't pay attention, what Strauss would have you forget.
For evidence, we have not seen them go out in any campaign.
So what's next?
"Frienemy", a combination of the words Friend and Enemy, is an oxymoron referring to a being with whom we have a friendly relationship, despite basic dislike or rivalry.
In this case, it may be a strategy of the type of keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
But when it's all covered in chocolate, who really cares if the cow is purple or red?
Inbar elegantly evades the question: "This is healthy competition between two iconic brands. As in any other competitive market, consumers have different preferences in terms of products, quality, taste, and affection for the brand. And like any market that has healthy competition, there is also room for mutual encouragement."
Marketing and digital
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Milka
chocolate
Strauss
Strauss Elite
Brand
competition
