Countline chocolate popular

Countline chocolate is producing growth even in times of recession, owing to its favourable price. Most innovations are aimed at reducing calorie content and making products healthier. The increase in sales is no real surprise, as consumers continue to need a little affordable delicacy even when times are hard and a sizeable assortment of countline chocolates is sold even in small, neighbourhood stores. Promotions are frequent in this category, because the products themselves are quite ideal for promotional activities. Frequent promotions might be the main reason why the market share of private labels continues to remain low. According to Daniella Csefkó, category manager of Mars Magyarország Értékesítő Bt it is difficult to predict the future, but recession seems to have little effect on this category. A number of innovations targeted at health-conscious consumers have taken place in recent years, resulting in products with lower chocolate and sugar content. All brands have been following this trend, including MARS. RDA labelling have been used on MARS products since 2008 and the calorie value of all products has been limited to less than 250 calories. The great variety of flavours, sizes and packaging calls for careful brand management. Manufacturers need to be careful in order to avoid cannibalisation, while retailers need to find the assortment which can satisfy all customers. All MARS brands are targeted at different groups, which helps to keep the risk of cannibalisation at minimum. In shelf placement, the character of the product is the primary consideration, rather than the target group. The category manager of MARS thinks that the result of effective brand building is an emotional attachment to the product. Brands are also a guarantee of quality. Owing to the nature of the category and the significance of small stores, ATL and BTL tools need to be used in a co-ordinated manner. As a result of the impulsive nature of the category, promotional activities focus on POS communication.