Alexander Dedovets - Cloetta

Over the past decade, brand growth has become increasingly grounded in data, evidence, and structured decision-making. In this conversation, Alexander Dedovets, responsible for Marketing Effectiveness at Cloetta, a leading confectionery company in Northern Europe and home to some of the strongest brands on the market, shares how the company approaches growth through a clear focus on penetration, product quality, and evidence-based marketing. From prioritising “superbrands” and consumer relevance to balancing innovation with commercial reality, his perspective reflects a pragmatic and disciplined approach to building brands in a complex category.

The Product as the Foundation, Distribution as the Driver

While Cloetta combines multiple growth levers – brand communication, distribution, pricing, and innovation - Alexander is clear that not all of them play the same role. At the core, everything starts with the product itself. Strong distribution or marketing may drive initial trial, but only a product that consumers genuinely like will generate repeat purchase and long-term growth. “If people buy it once and don’t like the product, they will not buy it again.”

This makes product quality the foundation of brand building. It determines whether a brand deserves to grow at all. Without it, any growth driven by marketing or distribution is short-lived. In that sense, the product is non-negotiable; it is what sustains demand over time.

At the same time, a strong product alone is not enough to deliver growth at scale. This is where physical availability becomes critical. Growth, in practice, comes from being easy to buy—being present in the right channels, with the right formats, at the right moments. Distribution is what enables penetration, allowing more people to access and choose the brand. “The most efficient way to grow the brand is to increase the penetration, meaning that more people buy the product of the brand.”

The distinction is subtle but important. The product ensures that consumers come back; distribution ensures that more consumers can buy in the first place. One creates sustainability, the other creates scale. Together, they form the engine of brand growth, supported by mental availability to ensure the brand is also top-of-mind when purchase moments arise.

“The most efficient way to grow the brand is to increase the penetration, meaning that more people buy the product of the brand.”

Balancing Physical and Mental Availability

Cloetta’s growth approach is built on the interplay between physical and mental availability. On the one hand, the brand needs to be present wherever consumers want to buy, whether in supermarkets, convenience stores, or online platforms, and offer the right formats for different consumption moments. On the other hand, it needs to come to mind in those moments when consumers are considering a purchase.

“You need to have both physical and mental availability hand in hand to be able to drive the growth effectively.” If one is missing, growth becomes difficult. Strong awareness without availability limits conversion, while strong distribution without awareness reduces the likelihood of being chosen.

Innovation as a Complex Balancing Act

Innovation plays a key role in driving consumer relevance, even though it is among the most complex drivers of growth. For Cloetta, the true opportunity lies in deeply understanding consumer needs and transforming those insights into scalable, winning products. “The real challenge is uncovering what consumers truly want, especially when those needs are still taking shape.”

Successful innovation needs to strike a careful balance. It must be new enough to stand out, but familiar enough to appeal to a broad audience. It must deliver on taste and quality, while also being commercially viable in terms of cost and scale. Even with strong processes, uncertainty remains, and not every idea will succeed in the market.

“The real challenge is uncovering what consumers truly want, especially when those needs are still taking shape.”

Insight-led Growth, not Guesswork

To navigate this uncertainty, Cloetta integrates data and consumer insights in every part of the business process. Inspiration comes from a combination of research, behavioural data, trend observation, and internal expertise. Ideas are not only generated through these inputs, but also rigorously tested before launch.

“There’s a very clear and logical pattern. The better the product is, the better the market performance is once the product is launched.” This validation loop helps increase the probability of success and ensures that investments are directed towards ideas that are more likely to resonate with consumers.

“There’s a very clear and logical pattern. The better the product is, the better the market performance is once the product is launched.”

The role of Marketing and AI

As the marketing landscape becomes more complex, the role of marketers is evolving. Rather than being specialists in a single area, they increasingly act as orchestrators, bringing together different capabilities, teams, and partners. “You need both: a generalist who can manage the whole project and specialists with deep expertise in their own areas.” This shift is driven by the growing number of media channels, data sources, and tools, making coordination and alignment more important than ever.

In this context, AI is seen primarily as an enabler rather than a game changer. It helps speed up data processing, generate outputs, and support early-stage work, acting as what Alexander describes as a “junior assistant.” While it improves efficiency, it does not replace human judgment or creativity.

Looking ahead, Alexander emphasises that the real opportunity for marketers lies in making better use of the knowledge already available. With more data and proven frameworks than ever before, future brand growth depends on applying this evidence consistently.

“We have the logic, data, concepts, and scientific insights available; use them as a base in order to create the magic. But don’t skip the logic and focus only on the magic; strong marketing requires both.“

“We have the logic, data, concepts, and scientific insights available; use them as a base in order to create the magic.”