Product Packaging: Ghirardelli vs. Hershey s By Malini Seelan
CONTENTS 1. Summary... 3 2. Visibility on shelf... 3 3. Features and benefits... 5 4. Advertising and communication... 6 5. Recommendations for Hershey s... 7 Page 2 of 7
1. SUMMARY I was at the store to buy chocolates for my dad. We both are chocolate lovers and like the dark chocolates in particular. The Chocolate Aisle had a collection of different chocolate brands. The first chocolate that caught our attention was the Ghirardelli s 72%Dark chocolate bar, placed next to this were Hershey s Giant Special dark chocolate bars and Cadbury s chocolate bars. I m a fan of Hershey s special dark miniature chocolates and I have enjoyed Cadburys growing up. However I was very disappointed with the packaging of both companies. But the Ghirardelli s stood out. Hershey s Giant bar packaging was the worst of the three. This study compares the packaging of Ghirardelli and Hershey and suggests how Hershey s can improve its packaging. 2. VISIBILITY ON SHELF Ghirardelli (3.5 oz. 100g priced at $2.49) The packaging from Ghirardelli was the best when compared to Lindt, Cadbury s and Hershey s. The packaging alone makes you feel like you re about to bite into something special. In my opinion, chocolate, that too dark Chocolate is an indulgence. It should radiate the rich, luxury and velvety feeling. Package Design Page 3 of 7
The Unique design of the package delivers the message of superior premium chocolate to the consumer. The chocolate is boxed and it looks slim and the dark colors convey the Intense Dark chocolate theme. The front is very simple with its nightly colors, rigid text, the engraved Ghirardelli Logo and the portrait of chocolate pieces. The back is a gold contrast and the space is filled with flavor descriptions, tasting notes, and an extremely basic overview of the chocolate making process. The box comes with its pull off tab and slide out top, with the fancy, embossed foil. The packaging evokes the feeling of lux Rich velvety and tasty indulgence Hershey s Special dark Giant Bar (6.8oz. 192gms Priced $2.29) The chocolate bar was visible because of its large size and bright red colors. The bar was thicker than the Ghirardelli and was broader by about 0.5 inch. Although it was larger than the Ghirardelli bar its giant tactics did not work in attracting interest as it did not seem to be really large. And, this goes against the fundamental premise of chocolate consumption indulgence. You are not looking at maximizing the consumption by a few grams but indulge in the rich taste. One would consider a 500g or a one pound chocolate as a Giant and not this 192gms of chocolate. Package Design (See below for images) The chocolate is wrapped in a silver foil and is again wrapped by a shiny glossy paper which contains the Hershey logo and the ingredient list. The one thing that is the same about all Hershey s Special Dark chocolate products is that the words "Special Dark" are printed in a golden font and they are printed on top of a red background. The back is in the familiar Hershey s original chocolate color and it is filled with a picture of chocolate piece with Nutrition facts and ingredient information. The % cocoa content information is not available The front packaging has Hershey s antioxidant seal which says Natural source of Flavone Antioxidants. The back of the package has no reference to this. As per Hershey s website it states that their chocolates are higher in cacao and therefore contain higher levels of natural flavanol antioxidants. Although the website talks about this in detail the back side of the chocolate package does not list the site or the details of this. (http://www.hersheys.com/extra-dark/about-antioxidants/what-areantioxidants.asp) Page 4 of 7
Hershey s Special Dark Chocolate Package 3. FEATURES AND BENEFITS Ghirardelli: Protection and usage: The box comes with a pull out tab which acts as a seal and the chocolate is wrapped in a fancy, embossed foil The chocolate is well sealed and the packaging is intact which ensures freshness of the product.. The package offers the convenience for the customer to consume the chocolate in portions and reuse the package by wrapping the remaining chocolate with the foil and placing it back in the box until it is fully consumed. Hershey s Special Dark: Protection and usage The Giant Hershey bar s packaging was very poor and inconsistencies in the inner silver wrapper folds were visible. The inner wrapper was not sealed and could be opened from outside without removing the outer wrapper (See the picture below). The package can be easily tampered and can pose potential health risks. There were also small pieces of chocolate found inside the outer cover. On checking the shelf I noticed that some of the pieces were already broken. This could be because the packaging could not handle the breakage of the chocolate from fall or from transportation.
The Silver wrapper can be opened from outside without removing the outer wrapper. This means that the chocolate is not well sealed and will not retain flavor and freshness. Once the chocolate s wrapper is opened it needs to be stored in another sealed container. 4. ADVERTISING AND COMMUNICATION Ghirardelli The Dark chocolate lovers are the specialty/gourmet chocolate lovers. They will look for unique packaging and presentation. The beautiful engraving of the Ghirardelli logo, the colors, fonts and the material used in the packaging sends a clear signal to the consumer that this is a specialty item. The thick box ensures that the chocolate will be intact and unlikely to suffer any damages from transportation. It s sealed box and the foil protects the chocolate and guarantees flavor and freshness. The chocolate can be stored in the original box until the chocolate is consumed. It s positioned itself as premier chocolate and the packaging of Ghirardelli says it all. Hershey s Hershey's describes the Special Dark as "A special blend of rich, delicious, velvety dark chocolate that offers a mildly sweet taste that milk chocolate lovers are sure to cherish." The Hershey s marketing strategy is Delivering high Quality Chocolates at fare prices. The packaging did not deliver the message of high quality. Also the special dark Page 6 of 7
chocolate does not produce enough curb appeal to attract the younger generation to try their chocolates.. 5. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HERSHEY Hershey s chocolate market share seems to be taken away by the new entrants who provide better Quality and variety of flavors for the same price. If Hersey wants to stay as a leader in the North American market they will have to differentiate their products and provide high quality chocolates and address the interests of the current generation who buy products based on product presentation, quality and variety. Hershey s will have to redesign its entire Giant Bar category. All of these bars not just the special dark have the same packaging issues. The same size bars are also offered by Trader Joe but it is well packaged and wrapped by foil inside. I would recommend a boxed packaging like the Ghirardelli or seal it with the plastic wrapper like the regular Hershey s chocolate. If price is a factor they can go with a re-sealable plastic wrapper. But the best option is to package this in a box. Box packaging is usually attractive and it s look will appeal the consumer. They should also list the usage of Flavinol, the cacao content and their website info in the back of the wrapper along with the ingredient information. Page 7 of 7