Are YOU Marketing Your Chocolate Wrong? | #PodSaveChocolate Ep 150
#PodSaveChocolate Episode 150 is inspired by video shorts featuring the UK adman extraordinaire Rory Sutherland. He suggests companies are thinking about their marketing claims backward, among other misunderstandings.
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Episode 150 Overview
I’ve been watching YouTube shorts in which O&M UK’s Rory Sutherland appears for longer than I can remember, and I have always been struck and inspired by his upside-down, inside-out, often contrarian takes.
Over the weekend, one stood out to me as a marketing copywriter for chocolate maker and confectionery clients:
- Does the order of the claims made for a product matter?
In this short, Rory proposes that the order in which claims are made can affect consumer purchase behavior.
Ask yourself, before watching the short, which claim order is likely to be more successful:
- Alcohol-free before beer; or
- Beer before alcohol free?
NA Beer – Watch on YouTube
Rory suggests that claiming, “This is great-tasting beer that happens to be alcohol-free,” will be a more successful framing than “This is alcohol-free beer.”
When marketing your chocolate, this suggests that:
- Chocolate [that is vegan] may be a more successful wording than vegan chocolate.
- Chocolate [that is sugar-free] may be a more successful wording than sugar-free chocolate.
- Chocolate [that is allergen-free] may be a more successful wording than allergen-free chocolate.
- Are you focusing on the wrong elements in your branding and packaging?
San Pellegrino – Watch on YouTube
Rounder = Sweeter – Watch on YouTube
Apple Ignores Nerds – Watch on YouTube
Train Journeys – Watch on YouTube
Secret Discounts – Watch on YouTube
- Is consistency underrated by specialty chocolate makers?
McDonald’s – Watch on YouTube
Connecting the Dots
What are the connections to the question, “Are you marketing your chocolate wrong?”
In his talks and writing, Sutherland links laziness and creativity, preferring elegant solutions over brute force. Sutherland observes that actions often precede reasons and that attention directs what we deem important, so deliberately redirecting attention can “hack” priorities.
- Think Psychology first, media second. Don’t start with “Should we do TikTok or Instagram?” Start with the human decision: what makes someone pick up a bar, justify a premium, or gift it? Then choose media that best expresses that psychological trigger (e.g., scarcity cues, story arcs, tactile packaging).
- Use attention as a lever. You can’t directly command feelings, but you can direct attention. Spotlighting origin stories, fermentation method, or chef pairings shifts what feels important to a buyer, reframing the purchase from (for example) “chocolate” to “culinary provenance.”
Who is Rory Sutherland?
Sutherland champions breadth, curiosity, and psychological reframing over rigid career planning.
Questions?
If you have questions or want to comment, you can do so during the episode or, if you are a ChocolateLife member, add them in the Comments below at any time.
Episode Hashtags and Socials
#cocoa #cacao #cacau
#chocolate #chocolat #craftchocolate
#PodSaveChoc #PSC
#LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife
Future Episodes
Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival Preview with founder Dustin Cornett
The Changing Landscape of Cacao Sourcing
Interview and Tasting with Tandy Peterson of Embers Chocolate.
#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives
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Clay Gordon
Clay Gordon
Audio-only podcasts
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