Milka

Milka is Kraft Foods' best-selling brand of milk chocolate. It is sold in bar form, in holiday shapes, and in a variety of specialty forms. It was created in 1901 in Neuchatel, Switzerland, by chocolatier Philippe Suchard as his first milk chocolate variety.

The brand has a well-known symbol, the "Milka Cow", which is a lilac colored Simmental cow sporting a bell around her neck, usually shown in an Alpine meadow.

The name "Milka" is derived from combining the first sylabells of the german words : milk (Milch) and cacao (Kakao). Another hypothesis is the one that the name is a tribute to Carl Russ-Suchard's admiration of Wagner interpretations of the singer Milka Ternina, famous soprano of the time. In 1901, when the brand "Milka" is registered, the "Purple Legend" sees the day light. Even at the beginnig, the encasement (pack) was purple and ingrained a cow on it and a panoramic view of the Alps. The logo is the same as the comercial name and appears on the packege as a stylish grafic by ingraining the white emblem on the purple background.

During the 1990s, Peter "Cool Man" Steiner became famous advertising Milka chocolate bars. The bearded septuagenarian portrayed a mountain dweller who warns an urbanite about having prejudices against people who live in the mountains: "Sie glauben wohl auch, dass wir hier oben etwas altmodisch sind. Aber Vorsicht: It's cool, man!" ("You probably also think that we're a little old-fashioned up here. But watch out: It's cool, man!"). Steiner's song It's cool man reached 4th place in the official Swiss charts. Meanwhile, the phrase "Why is the Milka cow lilac?" became synonymous with the product thanks to another advertising campaign.

In 1995, Kraft entered on the Romanian market with a local brand of chocolate, Poiana. Poiana was a great success but the company wanted more so they preferred to came with an international product: Milka. It was addressed to a target with exquisite taste and material possibilities moderated at least.

The introduction of milka on the market was strongly sustaned by an integrated marketing campain. One of the chanals of comunication that Milka used was the Internet (almost a premiere for comunicating the mark Milka) and was completed with a brio campain on TV, panotaj, prints and in store programes.

Milka is the brand that has the fastest market growth.According to Kraft's dates Milka has trippled it's market rate in the last 3 yaers. Milka's direct opponents on a more and more competitive segment af the market because of the imports without taxes from european union, are Heidi and Anidor (Supreme Chocolat).

What is the advantaje of Milka in front of Heidi and Anidor? The vision of the consumer that apreciates the strong conection between the brand and the Alps : the fresh air, the best milk and most important than anything the hydeal atmosfhere.

For the year 2008, Kraft Foods Romania estimates a growth of the sales on Milka's products with 30% more than last year. This is a consequince of the investments made on the chocolate production and promotion.

Hystory of Milka

1901- The birth of Milka: The registration of the brand at the Office of Registered Brands by the Royal Court in Berlin. The name derives from the combination of the two basic elements which the chocolate consists of - milk and cacao. The package is lilac from the beginning.

1922- The appearance of a man accompanied by a cow.

1973 - Young & Rubicam develops in 1973 the Milka cow, wich in 1973 would become the embleme of the Milka's advertising

2001 - MILKA celebrates 100 years of existence.

2002 - The oficial introduction of the chocolate Milka in Romania was marked by a show of lights at the National Theatre in Bucharest.

2003 - The MILKA Cow is 30 years old

Milka = Market leader

The best product sold on the premium segment is Milka