Kraft Foods World Travel Retail reports good success with its summer programme of events promoting its Milka brand at airports, including Istanbul, Johannesburg, Munich and throughout Aldeasa's major airports' store network.

The company says that throughout 2009 it has created Alpine worlds in several of these airports, featuring Milka hostesses which have helped to raise transaction values, increase penetration rates 'and double – or even, in some cases, triple – sales.

Last August a dedicated promotion area was created in close partnership with AT? Duty Free/Gebr. Heinemann in the main departure store at Istanbul Airport, complete with pillar light boxes, a branded sampling table and shelves featuring Milka products in the brand's trademark lilac colour scheme.

The company says that this attracted many travellers to the store, as did a similar exercise in Johannesburg Airport, where Kraft invited travellers to 'Enjoy the Alpine Goodness of Milka' in a promotion which it says spanned across the entire airport.

Kraft said: ‘From check-in to departure gate, Milka's eye-catching promotional campaign lined the route for airport travellers, an event made possible by the strong partnership with the retailer, Big Five Duty Free/Gebr. Heinemann.’

Consumers also had the chance to sample Milka products and were also offered vouchers to encourage trial purchasing.

Big Five Duty Free's Helena Melis said: ‘The voucher incentive created high consumer interest, which was strongly translated into increased sales.’

More recently, the events programme was also extended to Munich Airport in October, in partnership with Eurotrade GmbH M?nchen, with a 25sq m Alpine world promotional site was established allowing consumers to sample Milka products.

Kraft says this resulted in 'triple digit growth' over the course of the month, compared with October 2008 and subsequently resulted in the promotion being extended for a further month through last November.

Eurotrade Buyer Gerhad Haeusler said it was a great success: ‘The Milk promotion had a huge impact on consumer behaviour at the airport.

‘Consumer feedback was overwhelmingly positive, not only about the delicious Milka products, but also regarding the Alpine atmosphere created by the promotion and the execution of the campaign. In particular, the hostesses and their traditional dirndl outfits were enormously popular with travellers of all ages.’

Last, but not least, Kraft also reports 'huge sales uplifts' from the custom designed cash till displays that it also installed in partnership with Aldeasa at its major airport stores.

The company says that these were very successful, drawing on the impulse-driven nature of the confectionery category at the various points of sale.