| Type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Owner | Cadbury |
| Introduced | 1981 |
| Related brands | List of Cadbury products |
Wispa is a brand of chocolate bar currently manufactured by Cadbury UK. The bar was launched in 1981 as a trial version in North East England[1] and with its success it was introduced nationally in 1983.[2] It was seen as a competitor to Rowntree's Aero (Now owned by Nestlé).[1] In 2003, as part of a relaunch of the Cadbury Dairy Milk brand, the Wispa brand was discontinued and the product relaunched as "Dairy Milk Bubbly". As part of the relaunch, the product was reshaped as a standard moulded bar (similar to other 'Dairy Milk' products) instead of a whole-bar count-line.[3][4] However, in 2007, helped by an internet campaign, the Wispa bar was relaunched, albeit for a "limited period".[2] In October 2008 Wispa returned again to shops in the UK and Ireland due to the chocolate bar's popularity during the previous limited period release.[5]
A product known as Cadbury's Wispa, resembling a moulded Dairy Milk bar with bubbles and with different packaging, is available in some other countries, including Romania.
Contents |
The tiny bubbles within the chocolate are formed by aerating the molten chocolate with gas, typically carbon dioxide or nitrogen while at a high pressure which causes microscopic gas bubbles to form within the liquid. The liquid is then brought down to atmospheric pressure as it cools, causing the gas pockets to expand and become trapped in the chocolate.[6]
The original Wispa, launched in 1981, relaunched in 2007 (Temporary) and 2008 (Permanent).
Wispa with caramel, launched in 1995, relaunched for a limited time in 2009. Discontinued in 2010. Relaunched in 2011 (Permanent).
Wispa with mint filling, launched in 1997. Currently discontinued.
Wispa with caramel and biscuit, launched in 2000. Currently discontinued.
Wispa with coffee, launched in 2000. Currently discontinued.
Sold at Easter, first sold in the 1980s, sold again in 2009 and 2011.
This "king size" Wispa, contains two smaller bars within one wrapper; similar design and name to the Mars Duo. Wispa Duo was launched in 2010. Discontinued in 2011.[7][8]
The bar was launched by teaser advertisements in 1983 bearing the phrase "Have you heard the Wispa?" but without identifying the product as a chocolate bar. Original Wispa advertisements, all performed to camera in front of a black background, featured well known actors such as Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Victoria Wood, Julie Walters, Simon Cadell, and Ruth Madoc. John Le Mesurier and Arthur Lowe also made a final appearance as their characters from Dad's Army.
At the time of its comeback in 2008, Wispa was re-launched using large outdoor posters featuring the tagline "It's back. Apparently." and smaller, roadside posters featuring conversations about Wispa returning, which read; "Apparently, the Wispa thing is true. It's coming back. Finally. Brilliant." In December 2009, Wispa aired a television advert entitled "For the love of Wispa",[9] starring members of the public recruited from an earlier advertising campaign. The advert included cheerleaders, choirs and grandparents, and was aired on 20 December at 8 pm on ITV.
In 2009, to mark the return of Wispa Gold, Wispa gave away the launch advertising campaign for the bar to fans. The outdoor poster campaign which followed saw over 7,000 submissions and featured over 900 different posters across Britain and Ireland".[7]
In 2003 Cadbury made Dairy Milk into a family brand by taking existing brands and marketing them as Dairy Milk sub-brands. As part of this change, the Wispa brand was phased out and replaced by "Dairy Milk Bubbly".
Since the discontinuation of the Wispa bar in 2003, a host of internet campaigns and an online petition to bring it back slowly gained momentum. During Iggy and the Stooges' 2007 performance at Glastonbury Festival, several Wispa fans invaded the stage armed with a banner saying "Bring Back the Wispa."[1] In addition, several "Bring Back Wispa" groups on Bebo, MySpace and Facebook were set up.[10] In August 2007, these campaigns prompted Cadbury to announce that the bar would be relaunched on 8 October 2007[2][11] for an initial limited production of 23 million bars, with a permanent return possible if sales are high enough.[2][12] Predictions that the relaunched product would be marketed as Wispa Classic[13] proved unfounded, and the new Wispa hit shelves in similar packaging to the original bar, a combination of the original colours and the slightly updated lettering style of the later bars. There have been claims that the spontaneous 'campaign' was pre-planned and orchestrated by Cadbury, rather than by members of the public.[14][15]
On 24 August 2007, the first box of the relaunched Wispas was put up for auction on eBay, with a press release from Cadbury saying that the auction was real and that the proceeds (the winning bid was £195.00) were going toward the Cadbury Charity, Ghana for the Source.[11]
In February 2008, Rebecca Wells auctioned an original out-of-date Wispa bar, which she found in a sofa,[16] on eBay for the charity LAM Action.[17] The initial winning bid of £2,550 was found by eBay to be "unauthorised".[16] It has since been re-listed, and raised £1000 for the charity.
The bar returned on a permanent basis in October 2008.[18] Prior to the permanent launch of Wispa, for a limited time a Wispa McFlurry was available at McDonald's restaurants until 30 September 2008.[19] During Easter 2009, a Wispa Easter Egg was made.
On 14 September 2009, Wispa Gold was relaunched for a limited time,[20] following a Facebook campaign. The product was initially released for sale at Foreways on Warwick Road in Carlisle two weeks earlier, after the shop had been chosen from many around the country as part of a competition. As at 20 January 2010, Wispa Gold is once again available in Australia (having been previously marketed as the Crave bar) following parallel importing by Coles Supermarkets.[21]
On 26 August 2011, it was announced that Wispa Gold would return permanently in November in support of team GB at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.[22]