Introduction: With travel retail offering a ‘front-row seat’ to the ever-changing trends and shopping behaviours of consumers, Mondelez World Travel Retail Marketing Director Dogus Kezer discusses embracing change and staying ahead of the curve.
Travel retail is one of the most dynamic markets today. Due to the diversity of passengers that pass through airports, our industry has a front-row seat to observe exactly how shifting demographics, global trends and evolving shopping behaviours contribute to this fast-changing market.
As a result, it has become crucial for brands to remain current to ensure they maintain their relevance and popularity amid fluctuating consumer preferences.
It’s no longer enough to rely on past successes and existing brand loyalty; instead, brands need to continuously innovate and adapt to resonate with their evolving target audience.
Travel retail presents its own challenges and exciting opportunities to drive innovation, a strategy that is already at the forefront of Mondelez World Travel Retail’s (WTR) renewed category vision.
By advancing our winning portfolio, delivering unique moments and elevating category awareness through emotional and physical touchpoints, we keep the confectionery offering fresh to continue delighting travellers.
One of our most recent innovative developments in travel retail is the launch of Toblerone’s New Equity, a step forward in redefining the brand’s identity and capturing the future travellers for generations to come.
Capturing the shoppers of tomorrow
The Toblerone New Equity presents a new look and feel for travel’s favourite chocolate. It injects a delicious dose of originality into a standardised world with its new premium concept. ‘Never Square’ celebrates the rich heritage of originality while underlining the special flavour profile of the beloved icon synonymous with travel.
Toblerone’s New Equity introduces a fresh identity for the chocolate, positioning the brand as iconic, progressive and unique, further amplifying Mondelez WTR’s efforts to engage with younger travellers.
Our research predicts that by 2030, Gen Z and Gen Y will make up 50% of the travelling population. These generations value authenticity, diversity, innovation and experiences. The bold new brand purpose targets these preferences through a variety of ways to capture the distinctive audience. The ‘Never Square’ messaging challenges norms with a playful, authentic perspective, positioning Toblerone as a premium confectionery offering.
Understanding the important role emerging young consumers play in the market, Mondelez WTR has extensively researched the shopper behaviours of these generations to understand their specific needs. By leveraging data-driven insights we have developed a strategy that aligns with their interests, ensuring the messaging is relevant and culturally attuned.
By focusing on premiumisation, digitisation and design strategies, we address key values such as individuality, originality and the rise of the unusual to effectively engage with this demographic.
Design, personalisation and digitisation
To amplify the campaign and ensure it meets our target audience, the New Equity is being unveiled in the channel through a holistic approach.
The journey begins with our innovative design, seen in our eye-catching point-of-sale displays, which signpost the category and invite passengers in. Featured among the shelves is the dynamic new packaging, spotlighting a wide range of products from the recently launched Toblerone Pralines to the iconic 360g bars, ensuring a delightful choice for all.
Adding greater excitement to the campaign is the variety of personalisation options accompanying the new design. This gives shoppers more choice on how they can express their originality and share ‘Never Square’ moments with their loved ones.
Personalisation lies at the heart of Toblerone’s New Equity, allowing consumers to tailor their purchases and express their individuality. From customised sleeve designs to region-specific offerings, the campaign embraces diversity and inclusivity, resonating with today’s consumers, who crave uniqueness.
The brand’s commitment to providing a variety of sizes, shareable options and personalised gifting further highlights Mondelez WTR’s commitment to meeting the unique needs of each traveller.
Digitisation is the third key strategy that drives Toblerone New Equity, allowing us to adapt to the evolving needs of consumers. In an era of digital connectivity, using technology to enhance shopper experiences is crucial.
Embracing the future: A paradigm shift in brand strategy
To ensure Toblerone continues to delight for decades to come, Mondelez WTR has shifted its brand strategy, culminating in the creation of New Equity. The campaign highlights the importance of stepping into the future and embracing consumer trends, including our increased focus on premiumisation. Through this, we aim to elevate the overall consumer experience to enhance the category and advance our brand mandate to give new meaning to Toblerone.
Through product innovations like Toblerone Pralines and dynamic designs, the brand is now also synonymous with indulgence and sophistication and can cater for a greater variety of purchase motivations. This includes gifting, snacking, seeking a local touch and self-purchasing. Through our emphasis on premiumisation, we take Toblerone to the next level by building on its reputation as travel’s favourite chocolate, now with premium status.
Pushing ahead in an ever-changing landscape
In today’s dynamic market, the need for brands to remain current has never been greater. Through continuous innovation and adaptation, brands like Toblerone carve out its unique solutions to not only maintain its beloved position in travel retail and beyond but grow its brand loyalty and engagement. By embracing digitisation, personalization and design, Toblerone New Equity captures the flying future, appealing to the values and diverse preferences of tomorrow’s travellers.
These changes also add value for retailers, who are always looking for something new to showcase within the channel. By providing exciting innovations brands can unlock high-profile spaces in a way that benefits the Trinity as a whole and advances the category. ✈
