Why Mondelez's Dave Clements Wants Audiences To Feel Something

“My daughter turned to me at the weekend and asked, ‘Daddy, am I better at marketing than you?’” recounts Dave Clements, vice president of marketing UK and Ireland at Mondelez International. 

His eyebrows rise in entertainment - making it clear he’s proud to be on the receiving end of the question, and it’s hard to fight the infectious smile it triggers. 

“I’d had a tough day and at that point was thinking ‘you probably are’. But she’s found a curiosity for what I do - a sign that I’m doing something right.”

More on that later.

Clements is a marketer on a mission to make audiences feel connected to brands at a “human level”, and from where he’s sat on a sofa in VCCP’s office - the creative agency for Mondelez’s Cadbury, his drive to do so is evident. 

Being the UK marketing lead for the food and beverage brands, including Cadbury, Philadelphia, and Oreo keeps him on his toes. In his 14 years at the company, Clements is in no position to become complacent.

His route into marketing wasn’t one he anticipated.

After studying English at Loughborough University, he discovered an interest in “a combination of the analytical study of language and the importance of words for imagination”. Originally, though, he had set his heart on a rugby career, but that "never worked out,” so Clements found himself on the commercial graduate scheme at Kraft Foods Group, giving him a taste of the sales and marketing world. 

Three years later, he landed a role at Mondelez and has progressed from senior sales director UK to senior marketing director, to his current role, a position he’s held since 2023.

Throughout his tenure there, Clements has led the charge for some of the Mondelez’ most popular campaigns for brands such as Toberlone, Oreo, and Cadbury - including the latter's Christmas Secret Santa campaign. He describes playing a role in the making of the immersive experience as one of his career favourites so far. Since its launch in 2022, the campaign has amassed over 3 million participants and generated an additional £80m revenue, garnering it recognition at last year’s IPA Effectiveness awards. 

A never-ending bout of curiosity, he believes, has made him the marketer he is today. 

“I’m 39-years-old now; it's quite dangerous to have these heavy-set, held tight opinions towards work. I’ve definitely become more open in terms of asking questions and seeking understanding as opposed to directing.”

Within this philosophy, Clements praises endorsing an environment that allows “space for mistakes to be made”. He claims some of the best work he’s seen he initially wasn't on board with, but trusting his team’s belief in ideas has meant opportunities are never lost. 

His role, he admits, demands a lot of time and attention, but Clements isn’t afraid of needing to switch-off and seek escapism from “constantly” thinking - whether going to the gym, running or drawing - even if his ability rivals that of a “14 year old’s school art project”. 

Residing in Henley-Upon-Thames with his wife and two children, aged five and seven, he jokes about his other part-time job being a “taxi service”. It’s evident from where he’s sat, arm resting on the back of the sofa, holding his head in his hand as though in reflection, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Custodian Of Brand Heritage

One of the most prominent brands within Mondelez’s empire is British chocolate maker Cadbury, and he has not long finished celebrating its rich history to mark its 200th anniversary. 

The ‘Yours For 200 Years’ campaign with VCCP celebrated the legacy of one of the nation’s favourite chocolate makers, which saw a series of works from the revival of the emotional ‘Mum’s Birthday’ ad to the release of nostalgic posters. 

Within the making of the work held no room for ego. “I always describe my job as a responsibility - that you are genuinely a custodian for these brands,” Clements explains. “It's 200 years old and it'll still be here long after I've gone. I’m a part of the timeline of Cadbury; this isn't mine, this isn't Mondelez’s, this is actually the nation’s.”

The double-century celebration work not only proved important for the brand but for Clements as a marketer. “I describe it as probably one of the biggest things I’ll ever work on in my career because such responsibility came with it.” 

‘My Cadbury Era’ as part of the birthday celebrations used artificial intelligence (AI) and user generated content to allow consumers to upload selfies and place themselves in iconic Cadbury ads, becoming a part of the brand’s heritage. 

“I remember being in the audience of a pantomime and my parents giving me a Cadbury Selection Box to sit with,” Clements explains through a grin. “I sometimes go back to that, not because I find myself working with Cadbury, but because it’s a memory of being six years old that just so happens to have a brand connected to an important experience.” 

The aim of the work, he explains, allows consumers to reflect on moments in their lives, much like his selection box memory. 

The use of AI in the campaign proved imperative; it wouldn’t have been possible without it and proved to “leverage a human idea” that allowed consumers to “be a part of iconic advertising”. 

Mondelez’s future use of AI, Clements says, will continue to find the right moments to leverage technology. It will also continue to experiment as it aims to remain “consistent with how it  shows up to people” while evolving its communications.

Maintaining Creative Excellence

As owners of Cadbury, Mondelez has expectations around maintaining the long-standing legacy of the brand. With legacy brand platforms like ‘Generosity’ and ‘Glass and A Half’, it could perhaps be tempting to move away after a term.  

Clements is amused by the question, but makes it clear such a change isn't on the cards.

“I’m very proud of this concept of 'compound creativity,'” he says. “Too many times in this industry, you’re looking for a quick fix, and I don't think that’s the way to solve some of the problems we're facing.  

“When you look back at over time of Cadbury - at the Gorilla ad. That stands up in the industry as one of the most iconic pieces of advertising but it was a moment in time. If you look at what we built from the generosity platform that we have developed since 2017/18, we've just consistently refined over time but built on incredibly strong foundations that are rooted in brand heritage. For me, that enables us to keep delivering creative excellence.”

Clements also nods towards some of Cadbury’s recent work as prime examples of its creative excellence - the 'Made to Share' bars and ‘Memory’ film, paying homage to the “purple threads” of generosity that both show despite being completely different. 

In order to produce such work, Clements is quick to praise VCCP - Cadbury’s creative agency of record. 

“I value VCCP’s trust and transparency,” he explains. “When I look at the people I interact with and talk about that sense of responsibility and custodianship, I see that mirrored in their organisation.” 

Much of the successful work he’s been a part of, Clements claims, has always had a positive amount of friction - where both parties care to the point of debate. “It’s never a bad thing and is never about ego. It purely comes from getting to the best possible work that we can put there in front of consumers.”

Embracing Emerging Talent

The future of the industry is a topic Clements is incredibly opinionated on - particularly ensuring it is rich with talent. 

He is clearly entertained by his own recent experiences, as he recounts his daughter’s newfound curiosity for what he does for a living. 

“She’s got this fascinating curiosity for marketing at such a young age. A couple of weeks ago she even made this presentation that I used and wanted to get paid for it,” he lets out a contagious laugh. 

“But through that I’ve actually taken the opportunity to show what I actually do - and somehow convinced a child that the industry isn’t boring.”

Talent, according to Clements, gives him hope for continual success with creativity, and believes more businesses should be investing in their junior staff. 

“I’ve seen people that have started as junior brand managers that are going to be the marketing directors of tomorrow,” he explains, animatedly waving his hands. “That’s probably one of the things I’m most passionate about: that these people are going to kick me out of the role, and they should be given pathways to do that.” 

Clements continues: “My job is to give a platform to the hugely capable, talented, diverse groups of people that are coming through our organisation, and shepherd them along the way a little bit in terms of direction but never squash the creativity that sits within them.”

The World According To Dave Clements

What is a piece of creativity you would have loved to be a part of?

The one that sticks in my mind is the 'Always' campaign from 'Like a Girl’, and I say this to show, from a marketing perspective, the ability to tell stories that have clear consumer insight and the impact it can have. 

If I look at what I want to see with with my daughter, and to the point of like she was the only girl on a rugby tour at the weekend, I'm going: 'Everything is in front of you. Everything is possible'. I look at a campaign like that and the ability to inspire, where there is a clear tension, a clear barrier existence in society, that's the bit that gives me the why of why I do what I do. 

When I see that in people's work like the 'Always' campaign, it almost reignites the fire that I have for the industry. 

What do you think has been your boldest creative play? How did it pay off? 

I like to think of myself as a disrupter. I don't like rules - that's inherently in me, which sometimes goes against me, but I like the opportunity to disrupt and do something different. 

With Secret Santa - there was the height of John Lewis being the gold standard of advertising at Christmas. What an unbelievable machine that they built to get to that point, but also it poses a creative challenge for us to go, ‘how do you stand out, versus something like that?’. 

Not just John Lewis but everyone else is playing that similar game in terms of emotional storytelling, tearjerker films set to beautiful music - that's something that we were very conscious of. 

I remember the conversation I had with my boss at the time, who was like ‘we're not doing this like this. I don't see it’, and the perseverance to stick with it because we knew we had something incredibly special. It's having the foresight to see what this could be - and the bit that really got me was I could see Secret Santa playing out for years to come. 

What do you enjoy most about being a marketer?

The sense of responsibility. You look at a brand like Cadbury or Oreo or Toblerone or Philadelphia - those are a group of brands that I'm effectively responsible for, which is a huge privilege and something I take really seriously. I'm here as a moment in time. My job is to put these brands in a slightly better place than they were when I came into them. If I can do that, then I'm really happy. 

What I love about my job is that everyone's got an opinion. I love the debate and the conversation because people care. 

What makes a good creative marketer?

Understand the consumer. Understand what problem or barrier you're trying to solve. Start there, get that super clear in your head. As soon as you have that, things start to open up. You can then demonstrate some of the skill sets that sit beneath it - like curiosity, the craft, attention to detail. That's something else that I've probably really been conscious of. 

The other thing I've always said is to get out your comfort zone. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Put yourself in experiences where you've got that butterfly feeling in your chest because that's when you know you're doing something that's going to grow, and you're going to learn whether it works out for you or not. 

What I love about working in this industry, and I think this really contributes to being an excellent marketeer, is having that ability to step into uncomfortable spaces. So we talk about Gen AI, or any other use of technology, or doing something very bold or different - having the courage to go against the grain, take a risk, take a chance. 

What makes a good creative agency partner?

I’ve been very fortunate. So since working into the seasonal role at Mondelez, VCCP has been a consistent partner over time - coming up to five or six years now of working really closely together. The bit that I value for them is the trust and transparency. 

We've got to the place now where if we differ and we have a different point of view, we can also find our way back to finding a resolution. You want moments of tension to get to the best possible work, and you have marketeers that are ready to do that and some might not be, but I think it gets you to the best possible work. 

What frustrates you about the industry?

The over intellectualisation of it. There is this weird mentality of trying to get one over someone else and looking smarter than the other. 

We're trying to create emotional connections with consumers and sell great-tasting products. It's difficult to execute, but actually, what we're trying to do is straightforward. So when I see people do that, it frustrates me.