In this guest article, Mondelez World Travel Retail Head of Customer Marketing Beatriz de Otto talks about digital dynamism, forging a human connection and accelerating consumer conversion.
For many years, ‘digital’ or ‘online’ – both terms often used interchangeably – were positioned as a threat to our industry. The storyline went that the big online retailers and ecommerce would replace physical retail: that consumers would no longer yearn for in-store experiences.
Of course, we’ve since realised that while the online experience has many benefits in terms of convenience and connectivity, it is something that we can leverage in powerful fashion, rather than being a phenomenon that we must defend ourselves against.
While it is true that we still have a long way to go in terms of catching up with domestic markets, at Mondelez World Travel Retail (WTR), we have consistently seen digital as an opportunity – a powerful tool to get even closer to our traveling consumers, to connect them intimately with our brands, and to drive the differentiation of the channel. For us, digital can be catalyst for conversion, and a clear opportunity to connect with our shoppers beyond the store environment.
According to m1nd-set, 89% of travelling consumers expect more digitalisation and technology integrated into the shopping experience. As we look toward the future growth of the category post-pandemic, here are a few thoughts on how we can harness the potential of digital to connect with a whole new generation of travelling consumers.
A moment to remember
Mondelez WTR has debuted many technologies for the first time in travel retail, like the highly popular Toblerone sleeve printer, which ushered in a whole new era of personalisation in confectionery. With such a diverse audience, it is a fantastic environment to experiment, test, learn and improve.
Our in-store approach is about revolutionising the shopping experience through outstanding activations that excite consumers via digital engagement. We want to create a moment that they will remember as a highlight of their travels, rather than merely serve up a supplementary experience.
This year we went above and beyond with our Cadbury Football Club (FC) global tour to deliver experiences that no other channel can, augmenting the airport profile and compelling consumers to travel. Each activation on the tour featured something fresh and new, including a Cadbury FC skills test and a world-first with laser-etching technology.
We used this digital technology to create 156 exclusive Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars etched with one of the top six English teams’ football crests – a money-can’t-buy experience unique to travel retail.
A human connection
While digital is still a great facilitator of engagement, the best way to create a connection is still human-to-human. This is why, according to Forbes, influencer marketing is growing faster than digital advertising, with emphasis placed on leveraging a key opinion leader (KOL)’s followers to build trust, drive brand awareness, and ultimately create growth.
Brands with a purpose and authentic story-telling will win in terms of resonating emotionally with consumers, and this is why partnering with the right influencer opens up a whole new social media landscape to foster connection.
In December 2021/January 2022, we launched our first influencer-led campaign in travel retail with Toblerone, built around the concept that purchasing the iconic 360g bar was a true sign that ‘Travel is Back’.
Turkish influencer Öykü Yalçin displayed Toblerone prominently during her visit to Colmar, France, creating a whimsical winter wonderland video reel for Instagram that was viewed 106,963 times. The reel was supported by a series of Instagram stories, which reached 34,400 impressions.
One of Yalçin’s followers commented: “This chocolate takes me back to my childhood times. We used to wait for people to bring it back from their travels.” Another added: “I don’t think of travel without Toblerone.”
We once again leveraged the human connection with Cadbury FC, collaborating with three different content creators to drive social media amplification of the Cadbury FC story. The collaborations with key football personalities generated a total of 546,379 impressions during the campaign period, combining digital innovation, a universal love of football and chocolate to deliver an unforgettable experience that connected with travellers on a human level.
To the airport, and beyond…
While digital is an essential in-store converter, to achieve maximum impact, we need to ensure that we are connecting with travellers at every stage of their journey – a 360-degree omnichannel approach. This is also about meeting them where they are most present – their mobile phones.
From pre-trip engagement through geo-targeted social media advertising to QR codes and virtual photobooth experiences that enable travelling consumers to take the brand experience home with them, conversion is increased significantly when consumers can access a brand through multiple touchpoints.
For the Cadbury FC tour, we introduced augmented reality sleeves allowing fans to scan a QR code and take the tour home with them. More recently, we have launched new limited-edition Toblerone Tiny Messages that include a QR code that travellers can use to access an augmented reality tool. Travelling consumers can use the platform to create shareable, one-of-a-kind virtual messages and engage with the brand beyond the airport environment.
The Toblerone Tiny Messages were designed to engage with the new generation of travelling consumers. The goal is to share positive messages across social media and encourage travellers to connect by sharing chocolate with one another.
Accelerating conversion
We first added ‘digital platforms’ as a pillar to our ‘Delighting Travelers’ category vision back in 2015. Since then, ‘digital’ has been integrated into Mondelez WTR’s DNA. It is no longer a centralised function or the isolated concern of specific individuals; every brand, customer group and activation team is committed to innovation and expanding Mondelez WTR’s digital footprint, with the overarching goal of addressing the industry’s key challenges of footfall and conversion.
At the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference this year, Mondelez WTR is celebrating ten years of driving confectionery category growth through our vision, but we are also looking towards the future; to address and play a role in shaping the future of travel retail, and to accelerate growth in this ever-evolving environment. We have come a long way from the days of viewing digital on online as a threat to our industry, and we are excited to share more about our plans for the category – see you in Cannes!
