engaging consumer taste

Why Are People Buying Chocolate?

Endangered Species Chocolate (ESC) is a premium chocolate brand built on sustainable practices, sourcing fairtrade cocoa, and giving back to protecting endangered species and their habitats. ESC partnered with Matchbook to better understand its customer’s motivations, ensure its marketing messages speak to their target customers, make needed marketing adjustments, and ultimately increase sales.

To understand the brand’s initial positioning, Matchbook investigated and audited ESC’s marketing as well as its targeting strategy. It was through this research that Matchbook discovered a disconnect between consumers’ characteristics and their regular purchasing behaviors. Discovering this disconnect led Matchbook to a more intensive analysis of personas and trends for chocolate consumers, and then compared those to market trends within the industry. Through this process, Matchbook formed five core consumer personas for ESC. Two of which proved large opportunities for immediate growth and the potential to capture greater market share, while the three other personas were identified as long-term growth areas with potential for an increase in purchase and preference over the next five years.

Analysis in Action

These personas’ motivations for purchasing drove Matchbook’s new marketing strategy for ESC. While ESC’s mission is a factor in purchase decisions, research uncovered that it is not the primary factor. Target customers for ESC were also found to enjoy engaging with brands online. Matchbook assisted ESC in adjusting its ESC brand strategy and efforts in a way to fit the ideal consumer journey.

With a focus on online brand engagement and sales, Matchbook built a rebrand for the organization. The rebrand included digital development and online engagement, paired with a new look and new packaging. Matchbook in conjunction with ESC strategically placed content that resonaned with these key personas across social channels to create increased engagement and brand success. A new media strategy for owned, earned, and paid media, was created for ESC to pair with the rebrand and updated marketing to deepen brand connections, consumer preference, and increase sales. Influencer marketing was leveraged as part of the online engagement strategy allowing ESC to expand their influence with its target personas.

Sweet Outcomes

As a result of its updated brand presence and marketing message, ESC saw increased engagement and purchase consideration from their targeted customers.

This new brand messaging ultimately led to an increase in sales and 58% increase website traffic. A targeted one-day sale partnership with Zulily as a result of persona research led to Zulily’s most successful chocolate sale ever. Since this project, ESC has continued to see success and exciting new partnerships with large-scale retailers including Walmart.

Following the launch of the new branding, marketing efforts included influencer marketing partnerships, digital advertising and a sweepstakes for the chance at a trip to Kenya netting thousands of newly engaged customers.