Chocolate's Real Appeal

Have you ever heard that bit of advice about freezing your credit cards in a block of ice when you need to curb your spending habits? It keeps you from making impulse purchases… you really have to want to use it to go to the trouble of thawing it out. Well, Kristen uses the freezer in the same way for her chocolate. The freezer holds her stash. “Keeping chocolate in the freezer is a way for me to store it so I’m not tempted to eat the whole package at once. I just break off a piece at a time, and then I have to wait for it to get the chill off before I can actually bite into it.” As if she even has to worry… she’s a fitness instructor and she teaches high impact exercise classes every day!

Kristen loves chocolate, and she eats a piece each night before bed. But only one little piece, and only dark chocolate. That way she doesn’t feel so bad about it. “Wouldn’t it be great if chocolate was fat free so you could eat it every day?” Sophie asked. “No, actually it wouldn’t,” Kristen said. “It would lose its appeal. Chocolate is so good only because it’s so bad.”

Finally! The answer to the question that's been in the back of our minds... That's why chocolate is so enticing. We think we’re onto something here…

Opportunity: Flip the guilt factor on its head, and welcome the thrill of being a little bad. After all, that's what chocolate is all about.

Actual Physical Pain

“I can’t really eat this you know,” Lauren said as she dug her spoon into the molten chocolate cake.
“What do you mean?” thinking it sinful that an 11 year old was feeling guilty about eating the beautiful chocolate cake in front of her.
Her mom went on to explain that Lauren was slightly lactose-intolerant.
“It gives me a stomach ache,” Lauren grinned. Still confused, we looked to her mom.
“Ehh” she shrugged her shoulders and continued, “so you get a little stomachache. The chocolate’s worth it.”

Opportunity: When it comes to chocolate, the pleasure always outweighs the pain.

A new 5 second rule

Kathy is not one full of regrets. She’s more of a fly by the seat of her pants kind of girl rather than a careful planner, and she satisfies her whims with indulgences. Her biggest indulgence… a dinner of Ruffles potato chips and onion dip. She does that occasionally, and sometimes for no particular reason at all. “I love chocolate, too” said Kathy. “Ugh, but don’t you hate the way you feel after you eat it?” I said. “Well, the guilt lasts for about 5 seconds, but then it feels all worth it.”

Opportunity: Chocolate euphoria always trumps 5 seconds of guilt… instate a new 5 second rule

The Savior

“As for chocolate, it has saved my sanity on too many occasions...”

“The other day, I was in my coworker’s office, and she was selling chocolate bars for some charity or another. I was having one of those days, not the good kind. She looked at me, grabbed a bar, and said, ‘you need one of these.’”

“You wouldn't believe my morning. I had to swim across a lake to save maya(the puppy) who was chasing an injured deer. I deserve 5 lbs of chocolate today!”


Opportunity: Never underestimate the healing power of chocolate.

The Naughtiness of Chocolate

Erin, Brin, and Shirley squealed as they ripped into the chocolate packages and took candy bars by the handful in the back seat of our car on our way to drop them back home. There was something about the scene that made us all giggle like little girls, and Sophie and I even felt naughty for giving them so much candy! “When my mom’s gone on trips, we raid the snack drawer, and I eat up any chocolate that she’s left lying around,” said Brin. Shirley also has a stash of chocolate, and has even kept it up on the top bunk so her mom couldn’t find it. Chocolate is universally something we eat, but know we shouldn’t. For adults, it’s that feeling of, “Oh, I shouldn’t have just eaten that whole chocolate bar, but it felt really good anyway,” and for kids, it’s the feeling of, “I just ate something that I know my parents wouldn’t approve of.”

Opportunity: Embrace the naughty side of chocolate… it makes eating it all the more enjoyable.

It's In The Bag

“See, I have it in here,” Rosa said and pulled out her little caramilk bar from within her bag. If you looked at her, you’d think chocolate would be the last thing she was addicted to, she was, after all, the one who had kicked my a** in a spinning class that morning.

“I was big, 200lbs,” she said as we walked out of the spinning room. “One of my clients invited me to his gym. I saw the weights, tried a class, little by little, I got hooked, and now I can’t stop.” That “hooked” thing, that ever talked about, endorphin love and need, that was what she was trying to inspire everyone in the class to have.

But the chocolate, we still weren’t sure how that played into her fitness filled life. “You know, someone asked me once, “sex or chocolate?” not the answer we were anticipating. “Chocolate. Without a doubt in my mind. Chocolate,” she let out a rolling laugh as she said it. “Chocolate won’t give you diseases, it doesn’t yell at you,” the list went on, but most importantly, “it’s there for you. You know?” She didn’t want it all the time, but she liked knowing that it was in her bag, ready for when she called.

Opportunity: Don’t just be there, be the only one she wants to be there.

Chloe's Simple Goodness "Style"

We walked into Les Chocolats de Chloe and were overwhelmed by the homey feeling we got. It was simple and warm, not overly fancy or too pristine. As we opened the door, the smell of chocolate overwhelmed us, and we felt like we weren’t in a chocolate shop, but in Chloe’s home.



Her kitchen where she hand dips every chocolate is visible to anyone in the store. And let us tell you, there is no stainless steel, no coldness emanating from this kitchen… it had warmly colored bricks and a window complete with curtains.



The store front was like her living room… chocolates sat on book shelves and in baskets, and her personal collection of cookbooks was out on the shelves for anyone to browse through. Chloe welcomed us into her shop, and only stopped chatting with us to tend to 4 regulars who came in to pick up their weekly batch of chocolates, and she knew each of their names. And that’s typical… she keeps people coming back for more.

Her “style,” she says, is to make good chocolate less snobby. She does make some fancy chocolates with unique fillings, but they don't strike you as inaccessible or overly pretentious. Why? Because Chloe has created a homey and simple environment where she can be her down to earth self and make people feel comfortable, but still indulged. She doesn’t want anyone to be intimidated by good chocolate, and she welcomes anyone to come in and buy even just one piece. She hates the kinds of stores that kick the puffery into high gear to sell their chocolate. Her simple goodness approach to chocolate gives her store so much charm, and it’s what brings her regulars back for more every week.

Opportunity: Forget the fluff.

A Control Thing

“I used to be a horrible cook! Everyone’s kids lose weight at camp because the food is so bad, but my boys came back 10lbs heavier each year, that’s how bad my cooking was.” Carol laughed, “that was before the food network. Now I’m a good cook” which was very apparent as we nibbled on the homemade snacks she had brought out. “I’m really good at following steps, I was a teacher, so breaking things down and understanding process really comes naturally to me.” Her home was warm and welcoming, but you could be sure that everything was in it’s place, the fridge was full, but not too full, the table was set just so: Carol liked control. But when it came to chocolate, it was a different story….



“I mean, I was a chocoholic. Some people start the day with a cigarette, I started with a chocolate bar. I literally ate an entire bar for breakfast.” Glowing, Carol continued, “I literally dream in chocolate,” she gasped, “it’s truly euphoric, the state that it puts you in is like nothing else.” Unfortunately, this chocoholic was on the wagon. Carol’s son was going to be married, and damn if she wasn’t going to look as good as the bride to be’s mother, so as much as it pained her, chocolate was out.



“I can’t just eat one piece, you know, I want it all, so I just wont go near it. But the day after the wedding, first thing I’m doing, is buying myself some chocolate!” Hmmm, you lose control when you eat chocolate, yet, you love chocolate?

Opportunity: Maybe bending the rules can be a good thing? Give in to losing control.

Shouldn’t it be Fun?

“I used it for April Fools day,” Selma giggled, “I was like, here, try, it’s the new caramel and sea salt they’re making at the shop! Next thing, they were coughing and wheezing. I felt a little bad, but mostly, it was just really funny.” Selma works at Suite 88, a chocolate shop in Montreal, and the chocolate that she gave her friends was not in fact the “new caramel and sea salt chocolate” it was the “new jalapeño chocolate” that doesn’t so much melt in your mouth as it does light your tongue on fire.



“These are the other popular ones. They’re called shooters.”
“Like shots?” I asked curiously.
“Yup. You bight off the top and down it, just like a shot.” After a difficult decision between green apple martini, mojito, and lychee martini, lush that I am, I bought a shooter.
“3-2-1…” Bri chanted, and with a bight, a chug, and a smile, chocolate was now a game.




Opportunity: Put the fun back into chocolate

Chocolate = Guilt

Walking into Loblaws, a grocery store fairly recently introduced to Montreal, we were eager to get the lay of the land. The aisle where we found chocolate might as well have been named the “aisle with everything bad for you,”… we found chips, chocolate, gummy candies, and sugary juices all in that one aisle. It’s a guilt-ridden aisle… walking down it you just feel like you shouldn’t pick anything up. And no one did. We watched a few people browse down it, but no one stopped to touch.

Everyone we talk to can’t help but mention this guilt factor… “I love chocolate, but I shouldn’t have it,”… “I will not eat chocolate again until the wedding in December,”… “I can’t stop with just one piece, I have to eat the whole thing, and I just couldn’t keep doing that,” … “At least I feel better about eating dark chocolate because it has less fat and more antioxidants.” Guilt, guilt, guilt! Chocolate is really kept at arm’s length… we love it, but we don’t want to get too close to it because we know what happens when we do. (Exhibit A: the empty chocolate wrapper sitting on our nightstand right now… after we swore we’d only break off a few pieces. Ugh.)

Opportunity: We have to get people to touch and not just look. Cadbury, with its unique and well-known products, has the chance to stand for something that can outweigh the guilt.

Dad’s Favourite

If there is one thing I have noticed is that everyone always knows someone else’s favourite chocolate Bar. For Sam he knew his Mom & Dad’s. For Kathy she knew her Dad’s … “He loves Crispie Crunch.’ Yet she didn’t know who made it. Kathy was surprised to find out her Dad’s favourite chocolate bar was in fact a Cadbury.



Opportunity: Encourage people to say the brand name along with the product name. Cadbury’s Crispie Crunch, Cadbury’s Caramilk, Cadbury’s Crunchie etc.

Sam's Story

Sam is 10 years old. LOOOOOOOOOVES chocolate. He popped by the house last night at the perfect moment ….we were just bringing out the chocolate. The normally wild Sam jumped up on the stool and patiently watched as Brin (my daughter) and I broke up pieces of chocolate and put them on a plate. Brin and I occasionally popped a piece into our mouth to the horror of Sam, who had still not been offered a piece.



When asked if he liked Cadbury he replied ‘what’s Cadbury?’. When asked what his favourite chocolate bar was he quickly, without hesitation said “caramilk’”. Hmmmm …his favourite chocolate bar is a Cadbury, but he has no idea what Cadbury is. We told him he could take one home for his mom and dad if he liked.

He knew his Mom liked Dairymilk because she had bought it before for her self. His Dad got a Mr. Big … simply because it was big!

When it comes to Sam and chocolate it is pretty simple. “ It taste greats. It makes me happy. And my Mom doesn’t always like me to have it.”

Opportunity: Keep it simple.

Chaos in The Aisle

I wandered down the ‘treat’ aisle at Dominion today in search of some Cadbury chocolate. Interestingly the chocolate section is not organized by brand. When you go down the toothpaste aisle, the shampoo aisle, even the juice aisle brands are organized by brands. You find Olay products all grouped together. Tropicana is lined up side by side. Even crest and colgate have their territory marked. But not Cadbury. In this aisle, Hershey’s, Neilson, Lindt and Cadbury live freely. One above the other, beside the next. The Cadbury packaging is very simple to find … but the impact the brand would have if organized could be explosive.



When checking out I asked the store manager why the aisle is organized in that fashion. She seemed confused. “We only stock the products that move, that people buy regularly.” I went on to ask her why the ‘family of products’ are spread out? Her reply was simple. “Because people buy chocolate not brands.”

I guess she’s right.

Opportunity: Give Cadbury the presence it deserves.

Friday Bliss

I came home today to a nice treat hanging on my door. A little bag of Hershey Bliss chocolates. On a Friday afternoon, after a full week of work, there is nothing better than ending the day with a little bit of Bliss. Only problem … my kids got to them before I could enjoy them!




Opportunity: Just a taste can brighten a day.