• Chicago Tribune, Monday, January 18, 2010 10:50 AM

Kraft isn't just taking on Cadbury shareholders in its hostile takeover bid for the venerable British confectioner, Henry Chu reports, it's also fighting the ingrained feelings and images that so many Brits have internalized for comfort foods such as the Cadbury Flake, Cadbury Creme Eggs or the Milk Tray assortment.

"Chocolate is emotional in a way because it's so culturally specific," says Allyson Stewart-Allen, director of London-based International Marketing Partners. "It's one of those flavors and tastes that's imprinted on you from a young age."

One fear, despite Kraft's reassurances to the contrary, is that the company will make Cadbury products taste more like American chocolate, which many Brits find waxy and bitter. "Any Brit who has ventured stateside can testify to how utterly revolting American chocolate is," observes The Times columnist Antonia Senior. Beyond taste, Chu writes, Cadbury also "comes freighted with cultural and historical associations that hold a powerful appeal to the contemporary British psyche."

Meanwhile, Reuters reports this morning that Cadbury shares are trading higher in anticipation of a new bid from Kraft.

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