Cadbury is aiming to exorcise the ghost of last year’s controversial Get Active chocolate wrapper collection scheme with a new programme that rewards consumers with free family days out for a single purchase.
The confectionery giant courted a blaze of negative publicity when it offered consumers the chance to exchange dozens of wrappers for sports equipment.
The push came at a particularly bad time as its launch coincided with the height of the national debate over obesity in children.
Now Cadbury will concentrate on a very different on-pack promotion offering consumers cheap days out on presentation of a single wrapper. In particular, it hopes the push, titled ‘Great Things To Do’, will escape the wrath of the health lobby as, unlike Get Active, it doesn’t encourage consumers to make multiple purchases in order to qualify for a reward.
Rolling out from the middle of this month, 60 million promotional packs across key lines will offer consumers two-for-the-price-of-one access to a range of activities from ice-skating to comedy clubs.
Cadbury will use its sponsorship of Coronation Street to push the scheme, while the Get Active programme will live on under a programme of community projects not related to confectionery sales.
Tony Bilsborough, media relations manager for Cadbury Schweppes, insisted Get Active had been a huge success for Cadbury despite the barrage of negative press.
However, he admitted: “We were disappointed by some of the misrepresentation that Get Active received in the press and there are no plans to do an on pack promotion with Get Active this year.”
Senior industry figures welcomed the move. One influential buyer said: “Cadbury has made a wise decision. Linking confectionery with sport, particularly if it is blatantly aimed at fuelling sales, is not a good