Hershey’s, Ferrero, Godiva, Nestlé… these brands are the Mount Rushmore of chocolate makers. However, there may still be room for a fifth brand on the monument – your company! It’s time to start advertising with chocolate.
Elephant in the room – it’s definitely weird to think about chocolate as a promotional item. If you’re not a sweet shop, bakery, or candy company, it probably seems like it makes no sense to market with chocolate. But don’t rule it out just yet! According to the Fine Chocolate Industry Association, the market for novelty chocolate is at $195 million. Million!
Embrace your inner Willy Wonka, and enter a world of pure imagination! Here’s how you can use custom chocolate to promote your company.
Where Do People Buy Chocolate?
You can go to a grocery store and buy any type of chocolate you want, but people are willing to be adventurous. They will buy chocolate anywhere they see it for sale, whether it’s a community festival, random street vendor, or even online through shops like Etsy.
The Fine Chocolate Association asked over 100 people where they’d purchase their chocolate. It turns out, it’s nearly anywhere!
- 60% of people will buy their chocolate online.
- 14% of people will buy chocolate from festivals or fairs.
- 10% of people will buy chocolate from farmers’ markets.
- 27% of people will buy hand-crafted fine chocolate from a small shop.
These numbers prove that your company can advertise with promotional chocolate, even if you have nothing to do with candy or sweets. Tech startups, mechanics, dog walkers, schools, boutiques, makeup stores, and nonprofits can all sell or give away chocolate. It’s just about being creative in your marketing campaigns.
Do you run a bookstore?
The scent of chocolate in a bookstore makes customers 40% more likely to buy cookbooks or romance novels, and 22% more likely to buy books of any genre!
What Kind of Promotional Chocolate Can I Order?
You can print your logo or name on promotional chocolate in two ways – 1) on the wrapper or packaging, or 2) on the chocolate itself with edible ink. It just depends on what look you’re trying to achieve.
Here are the different types of custom chocolate you can order!
Custom Chocolate Pieces
- Bulk order (1,000+ qty.)
- Wrapper printed with design
If you need a lot of chocolate, you can place a wholesale order of individual chocolate pieces. You’ll get over a thousand candies use however you want. Put them in a bowl by your register, bundle them in a gift bag, or give out a complimentary piece with the check at your restaurant.
Personalized M&M’s
- Your choice of colors
- Design printed on the candies, or on a tin/bag
M&M’s are America’s favorite candy, so you can’t go wrong advertising with these chocolates. Your logo palette should inspire the color of the shells, and then you can print your brand name and/or logo either on the candies or on the packaging they come inside.
Custom Chocolate Bars
- Your design printed in full color on each wrapper
- Silver or gold foil to wrap the chocolate
How cool would it be to print your headshot on chocolate instead of business cards? It’s possible if you order custom chocolate bars. You get unlimited free imprint colors to decorate the wrappers, so make them look awesome!
Logo Chocolates
- Design printed on chocolates using edible ink
- Unlimited free ink colors for design
Take a big bite out of your brand! It’s possible if you order these logo chocolates. With an imprint area that’s 1.4” W x 1.4” H, these chocolates are printed in full color and are the perfect size for your company’s logo.
Chocolate Gift Boxes
- Packaged in a gift box
- Contains 5 to 20 chocolate pieces
Whether it’s for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or just because, it’s always fun to get a box of chocolates. Your company will seem sweet if you sell or give away custom gift boxes filled with chocolate.
Novelty Chocolate
- Fun, unique shapes
- Design printed on the packaging
You want your business to stand out, so try advertising with novelty chocolate! Made with a mold, these chocolates come in a variety of unique shapes like hearts, champagne bottles, or puzzle pieces!
Embossed Chocolate
- Bulk order (1,000+ qty.)
- Design is raised on top of chocolate
Maybe you want a symbol to represent your company like a hammer for a construction company or an airplane for a travel agency. Try embossed chocolates! The design can be anything you think looks good.
Are you hungry for more branded chocolate? Give any of these promotional ideas a try!
- Custom cookies
- Custom Hershey Kisses
- Hot chocolate bombs
- Promotional chocolate mints
- Custom chocolate cigars
- Chocolate covered almonds
How to Make Chocolate Part of Your Marketing
Now that you have an appetite for promotional chocolate, it’s time to figure out how to use it in your marketing. Here are some ideas!
Grand Opening Giveaways
Are you opening a new business? Customize chocolates, put them in goody bags, and give them away to all the guests at your grand opening. Now you’re staring on the right foot in the community.
Holiday Exclusives
Chocolate sales skyrocket around the holidays. Get in on the action by offering custom chocolate for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, or Valentine’s Day. Your biggest fans won’t want to miss out if you’re offering the sweets as a limited time item.
Promotional Incentives
Let’s say you’re a new restaurant in a bustling downtown area. Put out a sidewalk sign that promises a free customized box of chocolates to the first 100 people who make a reservation. The promise of chocolate could be the push a customer needs to enter your doors.
Trade Show Swag
Imagine how many people will come visit your booth if you have a collection of chocolate set up in a beautiful display. Just be sure to have other promotional swag as well just in case someone has an allergy!
Free Gifts With Purchase
Do you have overstock you want to push? Those items will fly off the shelves if you advertise chocolate as a free gift with purchase. You can also make it a limited time deal. Customers will feel like they have to act fast so they don’t miss out.
Souvenirs
Theme parks, hotels, and museums are just some of the places that have a gift shop. If you have one of your own, consider selling custom chocolate alongside the coffee mugs and keychains.
Contest or Raffle Prizes
Whether you’re hosting a social media contest or pulling raffle numbers, everyone will be excited if you give away chocolate as a prize. It can be gourmet chocolates or something as simple as a s’mores in a cute mug.
Fundraiser Treats
Sports teams and Girl Scouts sell treats to raise money. Your nonprofit will have the same success if you follow their lead with your own customized chocolate for sale.
Do you need to raise money?
Chocolate is the most popular item to use in fundraising. It has a profit margin between 40% and 50% depending on how much is sold.
What is the Most Popular Chocolate Flavor?
Chocolate should be one of the major food groups! People will eat just about any type of chocolate, from candy to cupcakes to chocolate-covered pickles. Some flavors, however, are favorites across the board.
According to a survey by the Fine Chocolate Industry Association, people prefer the following chocolate flavors:
- 32% of people like milk chocolate
- 31% of people like dark chocolate
- 5% of people like white chocolate
- 27% of people like any kind of chocolate
Now let’s talk about yummy extras. The same survey found these to be the top five ingredients to mix into chocolate:
- Peanut Butter
- Caramel
- Almonds
- Mint
- Hazelnut/Coconut
Overall, there are over 600 different flavor combos for chocolate. Mix and match what you’re offering, and don’t be surprised when more and more people become interested in your business.
Did you know?
Benjamin Franklin sold chocolate along with Bibles and stationery supplies in his Philadelphia print shop.
Why Do People Love Chocolate?
Chocolate is a beloved treat because it appeals to all five senses. It also releases dopamine into our bodies and serotonin in our brains. This power combo makes us feel in a better mood all day.
80% of U.S. adults enjoy eating chocolate, and 50% are chocoholics, claiming they can’t live without it. There’s no denying…our hearts melt over chocolate!
It’s for all these reasons that marketing with branded chocolate is such a good idea. You can print your logo on custom wrappers, or use edible ink and print it right on the chocolate. Pair it with a fun marketing campaign, and you’ve got a recipe for success!
Final Thoughts
Life may be like a box of chocolates, but people should know what they’re going to get if they work with your company. Treat them to something you know they’ll love like custom chocolate.
People can’t savor and enjoy your social media posts or Google Ads in the same way. Give chocolate advertising a try!
References
Benshosan, A. (2018, February 12). This is Why Some People Hate Chocolate. Retrieved, from eatthis.com.
Freeman, K. (2016, March 23). The Psychology of Chocolate Consumption. Retrieved from, healthyeatinghub.com.
Wells, K. (2019, June 11). Why Do Women Crave Chocolate? Retrieved from, wellnessmama.com.
Gaille, B. (2017, May 21). 27 Incredible Consumption Statistics. Retrieved from, brandongaille.com.
Schmidt, S. (2017, July 5). 6 Key Facts About the Chocolate Industry. Retrieved from, blog.marketresearch.com.
Grebey, J. (2014, September 4). 41 Delicious Facts About Chocolate That You Probably Didn’t Know. Retrieved from, buzzfeed.com.
Hussein, J. (2018, August 27). 50 Things You Didn’t Know About Chocolate. Retrieved from, eaththis.com.
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