PRCA conference takeaways: What Cadbury and Hovis teach us about brand longevity

First-person piece from Rhona Templer -

Last month saw me extolling the virtues of Cadbury’s. Not for the usual reasons that you might expect, but because I was discussing what brands can learn from history with renowned author, Tom Levitt, and chief marketing officer at Hovis, Mark Brown.

The auspicious occasion was the Public Relations Consultancy Association’s annual conference in London, where comms experts came together to discuss the most pressing topics of the day for the industry. There was a lot of discussion around the need to build trust and, conversely, the prevalence of mistrust and distrust. A key takeaway was the need for us all - whether you work in communications or not - to take the time to find deep empathy to really listen and understand opposing points of view.

Insights from Tom Levitt and Mark Brown

Back to my talk about chocolate and business heritage. Tom Levitt has written a book ‘The Business of History’ which is an incredibly detailed look at how major brands have evolved over the centuries and which have stood the test of time. It was great to share a stage with Mark Brown who outlined that Hovis has remained true to its roots as a brand, while still managing to innovate via NPD and adapt to changing consumer needs.

For me, Cadbury is another brand that’s stood the test of time - not just from a personal need to regularly taste-test their products, but because they have done, and continue to do, many things that make a blueprint for brand success.

Cadbury’s blueprint for brand longevity

Cadbury has always had strong brand values. It encouraged social justice and ethical behaviour long before anyone mentioned CSR or ESG. Product integrity was and is important, which has built consumer trust over the decades and it always wanted its chocolate to be available to everyone - despite the nods to luxury in its packaging.

But what also stands out is that Cadbury has adapted with the times. The brand positioning pivoted away from ‘personal indulgence’ (which doesn’t sit well in a time of increasing obesity) to ‘shared moments of warmth’, illustrated beautifully by the remake of an ad entitled ‘mum’s birthday’ - which sees a little girl handing over her most prized possessions (buttons, plastic ring, unicorn) in a newsagent to ‘buy’ her mum a present. Proper heart-warming stuff.

According to Tom Levitt, apparently a former senior exec at Cadbury, feels the company has ‘lost its way’. Certainly, the business would benefit from a challenger-brand mindset to be as agile as possible in these constantly changing times. Challenger brands like Tony’s Chocolonely have seen incredible growth in recent years, but they too, have clear values and remain consistent in their messaging.

When looking at Cadbury's recent past, it’s probably thanks to its huge digital footprint that it has weathered the storm of being sold to a US firm, losing its Royal Warrant and controversial issues around its palm oil sourcing.

And while BBC Radio 4 might have been debating Cadbury’s cocoa content last weekend, I believe that as long as the brand sticks to its values, continues to innovate and adapt, and is consistent with its messaging, then Cadbury will be around for many more decades to come.

Protect, Connect and Amplify with Democracy

To combat these incredibly turbulent times, at Democracy PR, we’ve developed a new framework, called Protect, Connect and Amplify. This, combined with an AI Readiness Test, are essential for brands to understand what really matters to their consumers, how to be true to their values while resonating in a meaningful way.

If you’d like to discuss how we can help your brand to have longevity, perhaps over some coffee and chocolate, drop me a line.