HP empowers Toblerone to celebrate originality

Confectionary, food and beverage company, Mondelēz International, has partnered with HP to create a unique instore activation for Toblerone, which will link with their new equity platform launching this summer. Exclusively launched across Sainsbury’s stores in the UK, as a test and learn opportunity, the campaign sees Toblerone packs decorated with new colorful designs using HP’s digital technology.  

With this instore activation, Toblerone wants to test and learn from the HP digital printing technique on its packs. The aim is to elevate its presence across Sainsbury’s store shelves, as well as build an emotional connection with consumers. 

Mondelēz International injects originality and encourages its customers to give a gift to a beloved one, saying, ‘That’s so You’ through HP digitally printed packaging. The campaign has over 170,000 unique designs – made by Bulletproof agency - where on each package, not only is the type of personality different, but also its background and icons are personalized according to the personality described in that packaging.     

HP and Mondelēz International have been partnering on campaigns for 8 years including campaigns such as Milka Leo ‘Color your Break’ or ‘Say it With Milka’.  

Personalized packaging has emerged as a powerful tool for brands to boost their sales in today's competitive marketplace. By tailoring packaging designs and messages to cater to individual consumers, brands can create a deeper connection and enhance the overall customer experience, aligning their products with their target audience's unique preferences, values, and lifestyles. In fact, studies from Sparks & Honey (Data Intelo 2021) revealed that 70 percent of consumers are willing to pay 10 percent more for products that have been personalized.  

Jose Gorbea, head of brands and sustainability innovation HP, said: ‘We educate our brands about digital print, its strategic benefits, and inspire them to reinvent creativity through the power of co-creation, which in return accelerates the growth of the brands, driving a 2X Marketing ROI2 and most importantly, creating shared value between brand owners, HP customers, and HP. This collaborative approach not only strengthens the bond between the brand and its audience but also fosters innovation and unlocks new possibilities in the ever-evolving digital landscape.’  

Claire Kamara, brand manager, Toblerone, added: ‘The idea for this instore activation came from an HP Garage Innovation Workshop with Mondelēz International in the UK. At Toblerone, we are committed to growing our business at the same time as keeping our customers totally engaged by creating new, original and personalized packaging designs for all chocolate lovers. This activation will help us test & learn from the digital printing technology, which offers an opportunity to not only innovate with storytelling on pack, but also create sustainability benefits for our business.’  

To make the ‘That’s so You’ campaign possible, HP leveraged German print service provider, Pfaffle, to print the folding carton boxes. The press used was the HP Indigo 30000 digital press, a 75cm format offset-matching sheetfed specially designed for folding carton production.  

Additionally, Mondelēz International required specific packaging requests, such as avoiding similar themes, avoiding grouping packs with the same type of color, or ensuring a balanced distribution of different original traits. By printing digitally and using HP SmartStream Designer’s unique variable data technology: ‘HP Spark’, the converter was able to create the perfect sequence, resulting in the correct order of Toblerone packs. This also reduced shipments for the brand.  

The ‘That’s so You’ Special Edition Toblerone will be in Sainsbury’s stores all across the UK from June 28 until mid-August 2023.