It is a box with frontal opening prevailed

The problem data could not be more conventional: how attempt a breakthrough on a segment by a competitor, but tempting because it progresses in a mature market Faced with the question to the radius of the chocolate pâtisser, the food group Kraft Foods responds to marketing, this month, in France a break with existing supply product. This category for the kitchen which he tackles carries. Often present on the list of races and less behind for the buyer because it is not in the snack category, it was in February, according to ACNielsen, growth in its sales of 10.1 over a year, against 4.3 for the whole of the shelves.

Launched under the brand name Côte d'Or, novelty is not in tablet to break before you melt the chocolate but pieces précalibrés 10 grams in a box opening as a packaging of sugar. Before the arrival on the linear, it took a little less than two years. "We we were given no constraint in terms of form or brand in the portfolio in which launch the product," said Alexandra van de Wiele, head of innovation at Kraft Foods group. A quite rare approach.

Users consulted

The team who worked on the topic brought together specialists in marketing, studies and research and development of the group, as well as designers and creatives belonging to Landor brand strategy and design agency. At startup, 20 women were questioned on their way to cook. "Go in people allows to update the emotional reactions, and confront the statements made in good faith the reality by looking in the cupboards," says the head of the innovation. "As a group, women do not say that they use ready for baking preparations while face-to-face they dare", said Mathilde Lauriau-Tedeschi, Deputy Director of Landor France.

Four types of behaviour are outputs of these observations: the woman in the home, for which all of the reasons are good to educate children, including the kitchen, one who wants to instead spend good times with his toddlers, the novice waiting to simple solutions, and the older for authentic products expert. Great absent, the men, who are more likely think to make cakes. The creative teams then created these women with texts and photos patchwork.

On the 389 ideas launched from these reflections, 10 by mark (Côte d'Or and Milka) were then selected, based on criteria such as production, strategic objective or differentiating character. At this point, opposite directions remained, chocolate liquid to the large block to break yourself. The choice finally focused on nuggets of different forms, to give a small artisanal touch, but the same weight. Giving the impression of having been cut into mass, they facilitate the determination for the amateur Baker.

For packaging, the first explored track was on the bag. "The consumers surveyed wanted to start this mode of packaging to have a more crude packaging possible, on the model of the flour, because the chocolate is, in this case, an ingredient, tells Mathilde Lauriau-Tedeschi. But the bag was difficult to place on a linear. In addition, he reminded purchasers the Ballotin Chocolates to enjoy the basic product to melt. "It is a box with frontal opening prevailed. In the same format as a Tablet but thicker, it integrates well into the linear. Small drawback however: nuggets collide inside, which may give chocolate a less uniform appearance. A mention on the box warns elsewhere the purchasers.

The product is priced at the market (1, 85-1, 90 euro) because, to get a place, its advantage in convenience should not be paid. Similarly, it does not evocative name display but is simply called "Coast of gold Dessert" to be easily identified. Boxes start to arrive in RADIUS, to be present at Easter, high point of purchase. An advertising campaign starts in the aftermath. Samples will be also distributed cooking classes. "The art of innovation is to find the right balance between the break with habits to the attention of the consumer, and the respect of some codes of the market to give cues", summarizes the Deputy Executive Director of Landor.