Throughout history, chocolate has been marketed differently to different types of consumers. Some companies like to show their customers that their chocolate has the highest weight, by using digital scales and then showing what the pricing scales read 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 to market chocolate.

1. Make a product 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 equal to 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 adventurous chocolate lovers 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 those with diabetes or anyone who wants to cut down on 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 are watching their weight can eat chocolate made without sugar. This chocolate is usually 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, making it a light chocolate bar.

6. Finally, there is marketing aimed at children, in which companies make a fun product with brightly colored packaging. There are many chocolate producing companies whose target market is children. To appeal to children ages two to sixteen, they make their labels look bright and cheerful. These companies also make their businesses look fun and sometimes quirky to attract kids to other products they can offer.

Chocolate has been a part of everyday life for consumers for hundreds of years. It is only in the recent past that the chocolate consumer market 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 cope with these future changes in the chocolate market.