Throughout history, chocolate has been marketed differently to different types of consumers. Some companies like to show their customers that their chocolate has the heaviest weight, using digital scales and then displaying what it reads on the actual package label. However, other companies prefer to create a luxurious image by making their products appear rich and indulgent. This article looks at the different ways of marketing chocolate.

1. Make a product that is intended for the everyday consumer. This type of chocolate is made for those who want an average chocolate bar. The packaging is usually very simple and the prices are the same or lower than the rest of the competition.

2. Create a rich and luxurious image for the product. This type of chocolate is above the rest in price. It usually has gold packaging and looks different from all the competitors.

3. Organic products are becoming more popular, so making chocolate to appease this type of consumer is a newer marketing technique. For a chocolate to be organic, it must be approved by the USDA, and some companies then obtain organic certification from other, more stringent organizations.

4. Companies also want to reach the adventurous chocolate consumer by using exotic ingredients in chocolate. These types of chocolates often have bold colors on the package label, to emphasize the exotic ingredients found in the chocolate. Exotic ingredients can include spices like cayenne pepper or different fruits like passion fruit or mango.

5. Sugar-free chocolate appeals to people with diabetes or anyone who wants to reduce their sugar intake. The diet industry has really taken off in the last ten years, and as such, so has the diet chocolate industry. People with diabetes or consumers who control their weight can eat chocolate made without sugar. This chocolate is often made with artificial sweeteners and the packaging reflects this change. The packaging and labeling of this type of chocolate bar is usually lighter, to indicate that it is lighter in calories and sugar, thus making it a light chocolate bar.

6. Finally, there is marketing to children, where companies make a product that is fun with packaging that has bright colors. There are many chocolate producing companies whose target market is children. To appeal to children from two to sixteen years old, they make their labels appear bright and cheerful. These companies also make their companies look fun and sometimes quirky in order to attract children to other products they may offer.

Chocolate has been a part of everyday life for consumers for hundreds of years. It is only in the recent past that the consumer market for chocolate has been segmented into so many different components. The consumer market is also constantly changing, so it will be interesting to see what new markets emerge in the coming decades and how the chocolate industry will deal with these future changes in the chocolate market.