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Montreaux Chocolate USA - A Case Study

Story: By Saurabh

To encourage the purposeful meaning of the study, we will consider the following questions about
the chocolate market in US and Montreaux strategy in launcing the new product(chocolate) in US!
"escribe the chocolate market in the US! "o you feel the Mondreaux should enter the
market place# $f they do, what should the brand name of the chocolate be#
%hat are &aymond's expectations of Torres # %ill &aymond's pro(ections stand# )ow
should Torres mo*e#
%hat was the sequence followed for +,"# )ow did research help in coming to the final
product and its *ariant#
Describe the chocolate market in the U.S. Do you feel that Montreaux should enter the
market place !f they do" #hat should the brand name of the chocolate be
-hocolate is the most lucrati*e segment of the global confectionery market, accounting for ./!01of
the market2s total *alue! $n/344, 5urope captured the largest regional share of the global
confectionary market at 6.!731, with the mericas follow at 88!9 1
Chocolate Market In The US:
The US confectionery market reported total re*enues of :8.!06; billion in /344, represented annual
growth rate of /!;1 between /33< = /344! Total re*enue for the chocolate segment in /344 was
:4<!006 billion, a 4!91 increase o*er /343! The US chocolate market expected to grow almost /1
annually through /34.!
The chocolate market in the U!S! is composed of se*en product segments, with the top four
accounting for 96!61 of market *alue>
?ar@bag@box (8!. oA!B)> <,469 million, with <!01 growth between /339 and /344
Seasonal chocolate> 6,63< million, with 9!91 growth
?ar@bag@box (less than or equal to 8!. 3/!)> 8,6<9 million, with 4;!.1 growth
SnackCsiAe chocolate (less than or equal to 3!0 3/!)> /,.// million, with 43!;1 growth!
Dther segments include gift box, sugarCfree, and no*elty chocolate! The o*erall market for chocolate
in the U!S! is segmented by mass market and premium, with the mass market accounting for ;3!81
of sales and premium for 49!<1! The premium segment is further segmented into e*eryday
gourmet@affordable luxury, upscale premium, and super premium, which represent 40!;1, /!/1, and
3!<1, respecti*ely, of total sales Erocery, drug, and con*enience stores, and %almart, collecti*ely
sold approximately 6.!81 of the chocolate candy in the U!S! in /344! Erocery was the largest
channel, accounting for 4.!;1 of sales followed by con*enience stores at 44!<1, drug stores at
9!D3@3, and %almart at ;!;1!
Trends in the U!S! chocolate market in /344 included>
,remium chocolate products mo*ing to mainstream channels (i!e!, supermarkets, mass
merchandisers)
"ark chocolate sales benefiting from fla*anolsCantioxidants that can help to lower cholesterol
and pro*ide cardio*ascular benefits
FowCcalorie options such as reduced fat and aerated chocolate
,ackaging going to standCup pouches and bigger siAes that appeal to economically
conscious consumers
$ncreases in pricing attributable to rising commodity cost
Wheather Montreaux should enter the market place. If they do, what should the brand name
of the chocolate be
ndrea Torres, director of new product de*elopment at a highCend chocolate confectionery
company, leads her team through a carefully sequenced program of market research to
support the de*elopment and launch of a new product, healthy dark chocolate with fruit! This
is the first time Montreaux US, an offshoot of a Swiss confectioner, has created a product
specifically for U!S! chocolate consumers!
Torres and her +," team on the basis of their research describe the decisions that lie
ahead, a few months in ad*ance of the anticipated launch! challenging situation is
intensified by a competitor also ha*ing tested a darkCchocolateCwithCfruit product that was
likely to be introduced into the U!S! marketplace in the near future!
-onsumers2 focus on fitness and health in the U!S!, which sharpened o*er the past three
decades, prompted Montreaux -hocolate US to consider expanding its chocolate offerings
to include products that featured a healthy focus! s the emphasis on healthy eating habits
heightened, howe*er, so had the number of competitors and the rate of new product
introduction! Gishers, $nc!, a "allas, TexasCbased firm, was the leading global player in
/344, generating a 40!;1share of the market2s *alue! pollo Goods solidly held second
place at 4.!61, with Swiss food giant -ornelius S!! following at 9!41! +one of these
companies, howe*er, was the leader in the U!S! chocolate marketH that honor went to
Fancaster -ompany, with a 86!;1 U!S! market share! Gishers closely followed with a 86!61
share!
C$%C&US!$%
Montreaux a wellCknown Swiss company with Unique manufacturing process should
definitely enter the US chocolate market with its "ark -hocolate with fruit concept, a product
from the higher concentration of cocoa (with health benefits, ntioxidants I help to lower
cholesterol and pro*ide cardio*ascular benefits)!
Stay with the Montreaux name build on the 5uropean company brand equity but de*elop the
taste based on the U!S market to cater the local people, emphasiAe the product as healthy
product!
'hat as the se(uence follo#ed for %)D *%e# )roduct De+elopment, -o# did research
help in comin. to the final product and its +ariants
To create the next product in a company's product line a design team goes through product
de*elopment process steps! Starting with a product idea, the team mo*es through se*eral stages to
generate all the details and documents needed to get the product built! +5% product de*elopment
(+,") process goes through the same steps, howe*er as this product has not been de*eloped by
the team before, new risks and uncertainties are introduced and often additional information is
documented and shared with manufacturer!
There are fi*e basic steps in a new product de*elopment process>
Concept ! The concept step sets basic direction and boundaries for the entire de*elopment
process by clarifying the type of product, the problem the product sol*es and the financial
and technical goals to be achie*ed by the product!
Ideat"on ! "uring the ideation step the team brainstorms to disco*er some of the many ways
a product can sol*e the problem and meet internal goals! $deas are e*aluated and the most
promising are selected for further in*estigation!
#es"$n ! $t's in this step that the execution of the JbestK way to create and construct the
product happens! 5ngineering details are generated to flesh out the high le*el concepts from
the ideation stage!
Test ! Testing *erifies if the product meets the original goals or if additional refinement is
needed!
%elease ! Dnce testing has confirmed that the product sol*es the problem and will meet the
company goalsH it is ready to start the new product introduction (+,$) process and get the
product builtL
The basic steps of the new product de*elopment process are listed abo*e as stages that follow each
other, but in reality the process is cyclical, not linear! $deation, "esign and Test steps are repeated
o*er and o*er again, at *arying depths of detail and on different subsystems, until the product design
is complete!
&ew 'roduct #e(elopment )&'#* at Montreaux: The +," Eroup2s charter was to achie*e
national distribution of Montreaux -hocolate US and continue to significantly build the chocolate
business in the U!S! by de*eloping new product lines!
Ei*en the deli*erable expected by senior management by yearCend /34/, coupled with the
companyCwide focus on health and wellness, and her manager2s commitments, Torres
accepted +,"2s recommendation to explore the growing dark chocolate category!
She and her team subsequently met with Montreaux2s research and de*elopment personnel,
who had (oined the ad*ertising agency to generate ideas for the new product!
Dut of these sessions came 6. ideas2 that all parties agreed merited further testing
Se+uence followed for &'#:
Understand the issue of new product (Montreaux -hocolate) to be launched in US
market!!!!4. month of market research!
Steps
,roduct "e*elopment
-onsumer cceptance
Marketing Strategy
+ielsen I ?S5S idea screening test
S%DT analysis
&ecommendation = $mplementation!
,ow d"d research help "n com"n$ to the f"nal product - "ts (ar"ants
Montreaux decided to partner with ?S5S (a large multifaceted marketing consultancy) to
quantitati*ely assess and optimiAe the new dark chocolate initiati*e! ?S5S offers ser*ices that
span the new product de*elopment process, from early idea screening through launch qualification
of the final concept and product !?S5S would help Montreaux on the new product opportunity and
a strategy that
4! %as in line with pollo and Montreaux2s strategy for health and wellness,
/! "emonstrated strong consumer *iability, and
8! %ould deli*er the financial potential that was strong enough to meet the goals of the team!
?S5S $dea Screening Test> ?S5S offers a lowCcost way to quickly prioritiAe which new
product ideas merit further de*elopment! This insight is based on performance on four of the
factors> the "istinct ,roposition, ttention -atching, +eed@"esire, and d*antage Grom this
screening Montreaux was able to narrow down the initial 6. ideas to the 4/ ideas that
possess the strongest potential and should be accelerated for concept de*elopment, many
of which incorporated dark chocolate with fruit!
?S5S Snapshot -oncept Test> ?S5S Snapshot concept test was conducted to identify
early optimiAation opportunities and rough siAe of the price estimates prior to product
de*elopment! 5ach idea was de*eloped into a full concept *ia the addition of the concept
images, messaging, *arieties, and prices, the intent was to identify which concepts ha*e the
strongest potential to be tried by consumers in market! The ?S5S Snapshot identified fi*e
dark chocolate with fruit concepts( blueberry, pomegranate, and cranberry among the top
fla*ors)!that respondents considered distinct as well as attracti*e and rele*ant! Grom this
testing the +," group ga*e top de*elopment priority to two dark chocolate with fruit
concepts, one with <31 cocoa and one with 9D1
Gocus Eroups> Dnce the list of winning product formulations had been reduced to a
manageable siAe +," conducted eight focus groups to determine the optimal le*el of cocoa,
reconfirm the best *arieties of fruit! ,articipants were shown headline descriptions and gi*en
samples of the four products! This qualitati*e research found that consumers preferred the
taste of the <31 cocoa to the slightly more bitter 931 *ariation and also confirmed the
pre*iously identified top three fla*ors were also among the best tasting! The perception of
healthfulness was considered the most significant difference between the new dark
chocolate products and other chocolate offerings!
Marketing $ssues> side from the product formulation, se*eral other issues had to be
addressed, including positioning, siAe, and packaging! Mualitati*e research results indicated
health benefits as a potentially strong basis for positioning o*er taste, but +," also noted
taste was identified as an important attribute by most respondents in quantitati*e testing!
nother positioning issue was the brand name ! s for siAe and packaging, some
consumers preferred the smaller squares for portion control while others preferred the
standard 8!.Counce candy bar, and +," needed to choose one siAe o*er the other!
Snapshot ?S5S -oncept Test> ?ased on the research results , Torres decided to conduct a
second ?S5S concept test to address these open issues! /33 consumers per concept were
asked to e*aluate concepts that they *iewed online and to pro*ide feedback! +," de*eloped
four refined <31 cocoa dark chocolate with fruit concepts with alternati*e positioning
(healthy *ersus taste) and packaging @siAe (8!.Counce bar *ersus squares in a .!3Counce
standCup pouch) for a second ?S5S Snapshot to determine rough re*enue potential of the
four optimiAed lines!
"iagnostic information generated by the research found the .Counce standCup pouch with healthy
positioning to offer the greatest re*enue potential, reconfirming the results of the focus group testing
that found consumers respond *ery fa*orably to healthy messaging! %hile the 8!.Counce bar with
taste messaging was able to encourage consumers to expect to buy more often due it its smaller
siAe, the concept was seen as less unique, thereby classifying it as a more risky proposition! &esults
also found that taste was a strong secondary message that should be communicated in con(unction
with the healthy positioning! !
?S5S $$ Testing
$n ugust /34/, ndrea Torres decided to mo*e forward with the ?S5S $$ testing! The
methodology required contacting consumers *ia a proprietary $nternet sur*ey panel to gauge
trial interest among a representati*e sample! 5ach respondent would be queried about their
purchase interest! $f they expressed the intent to buy the dark chocolate in the future, they
would be shipped samples to try and then reCcontacted about their product experience! Their
responses would be used as inputs for the ?S5S *olume forecasting model, including their
buying intentions, intended frequency and quantity of purchase, price@*alue assessments,
and other similar diagnostics!
The ?S5S $$ the most robust concept and product e*aluation offered by ?S5S, would
allow Torres2s team to e*aluate the market readiness of the new dark chocolate and pinpoint
potential areas of product optimiAation! The team decided to test the <31 cocoa dark
chocolate with fruit with healthy messaging and new standCup pouch concept due to its
heightened re*enue potential, better alignment with health and wellness initiati*es, and
strong consumer acceptance of the proposition!
The results of the likelihood to purchase question stated that /81 of respondents would
definitely buy the Montreaux dark chocolate with fruit product and 631 would probably buy
the product!

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