The Hindu Business Line : Cadbury looks to boost presence in mouth freshener category

"There could be a possibility of extending the brand to other formats in the mouth freshening category, and it could be a way forward for the brand," said Mr Vidyut Arte, Director, Sales and Marketing (Mass Markets), Cadbury India.

At present, Clorets Bilkul (Rs 2 for 5.4 g), a saunf- flavoured mini chewing gum is available in the market, marking Cadbury's foray into the chewing gum category.

Clorets has always been positioned on the mouth freshener platform. And this is the first time that Cadbury has localised it with an Indian name, Bilkul. The brand is likely to have more Indian , according to the company.

In the past, Clorets existed as a big-sized candy pellet in the market, and small quantities of it are still available. Says Mr Arte, "Clorets continues to exist as a candy pellet in small quantities. In all probability, this product would get treated as a variant of the new brand Clorets Bilkul in future."

To cash in on the Indian habit of chewing mouth fresheners, especially after meals, Cadbury had introduced the saunf flavour to replace the traditional mouth freshener.

But this is not the first time that small mouth freshener-based gum pellets with an ethnic flavour have been launched in the Indian market.. Dalmia Consumer Care had forayed into this segment with its Chabaaza brand, which is a tobacco-free pan-flavoured gum pellet.

While Cadbury believes there are opportunities in the mouth freshener category, it is undecided about unleashing more gum brands in the market, especially Chiclets. "We still don't know whether the brand will be relevant today," says Mr Arte.

Cadbury India is in the process of enhancing the separate network for its mass-market business set up two years ago. "We still have a long way to go in terms of reaching our targets," says Mr Arte.

Cadbury continues to extend its presence in pan kiosks and other small outlets, having tapped into the traditional big outlets.

The confectionery segment holds a bigchallenge for the chocolate major, in terms of distribution and reach. Building brands at the below-Rs 3-segment is a bigger task, according to the company.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page