Frankfurt, 23.07.2020

WirtschaftsWoche – A square Milka?

The Federal Court of Justice has decided: Ritter Sport may continue to protect the square shape of its chocolate as a trademark. Prior to the decision, WirtschaftsWoche interviewed Lukas Cottrell: About how the shape influences brand perception and about differentiation in a competitive market.

"Ritter Sport and also Milka stand for different positioning and also target groups: Milka focuses on pleasurable experience, in particular on the 'tenderness' and Alpine milk. Ritter Sport concentrates more on quality and sustainability: classified ingredients, reduced ingredients, with a high cocoa content, coming from only one country. But apart from that, the claim "Quality. Chocolate. Squared." – in German: “Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut.” – is very important for Ritter Sport. From history, the practicality that is associated with the product has evolved: a format that was developed so that it would fit in every sport jacket pocket. A rather functional orientation, that's interesting and especially in the chocolate market."

What role does packaging play when buying products - and how important is it for this to be the only brand allowed to use a square? Read more about these questions in the interview of the German business news magazine WirtschaftsWoche with Managing Partner Lukas Cottrell.