Nestle pops free Swiss chocs in post after rebranding flops

AFP, April, 2007

GENEVA (AFP) — The Swiss food giant Nestle is mailing two million bars of chocolates to Swiss households to try to sweeten sales of one of its brands after the wrapper was changed.

The move followed a 24 percent drop in sales for the group's best selling Cailler brand in Switzerland last year, when it adopted new high tech plastic packaging designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.

The rebranding plans for Cailler, which was founded in 1825, also includes new flavours developed by Spanish chef Ferran Adria, a guru of innovative "molecular" gastronomy.

Philippe Oertle, a spokesman for Nestle Switzerland, said the free distribution of the 100 gramme bars marked the "reconciliation of the brand with the population."

Consumers more used to the old, dowdy...