In the 1920s/30s advertising messages were based on health, nutritional value – and prices dropping.
Rising volumes and falling transport costs meant big savings, and Cadbury passed them on to the customer. Cadbury saw no problems in offering a high-quality product at a good-value price, and from this time onwards these two attributes – plus Cadbury’s status as the nation’s leading brand – formed the cornerstones of the company’s advertising.
During the Second World War, cocoa and chocolate were seen as essential supplies and under Government control. Milk supplies were needed to drink, so Cadbury Dairy Milk came off the shelves, a situation announced in ads at the time. Other wartime ads were for Ration Chocolate, made with dried skimmed milk powder because of the lack of fresh milk.
Cococubs and the ‘Chocolate Mystery Man’
Cadbury Cococubs appeared in the 1930s: These hand painted characters designed by commercial artist Ernest Aris were rather like Beatrix Potter’s, with names like Mrs Cacklegoose and Granny Owl. Initially included in tins of Bournville and then subsequently collected with coupons, there were 32 of them to collect, and they even had their own daily comic strip in the Beano. A Cococub Club ran from 1936 until 1939.
Between the wars promotional work was paramount. At seaside resorts a ‘Chocolate Mystery Man’ would roam around – if you showed him a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk you’d win a prize. Vans selling hot cocoa and Bournvita would turn up at busy public events.
All these activities meant that people felt they had a very personal relationship with Cadbury, and did wonders for sales – it was the early days of what people today call ‘experiential marketing’: finding ways to give people a one-to-one relationship with brands.