The evolution of chocolate advertising

From cocoa drinks made by the Aztecs to India’s love affair with chocolate, this article traces the evolution of chocolate advertising, from royal courts to corner shops, across Europe and into the Indian imagination.

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Joe
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evolution of chocolate ads

Long before chocolate was a treat in lunchboxes and checkout counters, it was divine. Not metaphorically, literally. The earliest known cacao consumers, the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs, revered the bean as sacred. It was currency, offering, and ceremonial drink, reserved for gods and elites. It is also claimed that the 16th-century Aztec ruler Moctezuma II drank 50 cups of chocolate a day out of a golden goblet to increase his libido.

Ancient Maya murals from Calakmul show cacao being prepared and consumed.
Photos: Kenneth Garrett, National Geographic Image Collection.


By the time Spanish conquistadors brought it to Europe in the 16th century, cacao already carried the sheen of power and privilege. What followed was not merely a tale of trade and transformation, but of marketing mastery, the gradual rebranding of chocolate from holy potion to global craving.

Image: Cocoa Runners

For centuries, European aristocracy consumed chocolate as a sweetened drink, a status symbol in royal courts and in 17th-century London’s exclusive ‘Chocolate Houses’. But demand had a dark underside. With native labour decimated in the Americas, European colonisers turned to African slavery to fuel cacao and sugar plantations. In 1906, journalist Henry Nevinson exposed forced labour on São Tomé, calling it a 'slave economy' and triggering public backlash and court cases against Cadbury. The affordability of chocolate, eventually and unfortunately, came at the cost of human suffering.

A chocolate house in London, circa 1708.
A chocolate house in London, circa 1708. ART Collection / Alamy

In India, chocolate first arrived under colonial rule, an imported delicacy, largely restricted to British households and upper-class enclaves. For decades, it remained a foreign indulgence, peripheral to India's deep-rooted traditions of mithai. It was not part of the culture, not yet.

Image
A cocoa press

Then came the Industrial Revolution, bringing a wave of innovations that changed chocolate forever. The invention of the cocoa press in 1828, followed by the first solid chocolate bar in 1847, the creation of milk chocolate in 1875, and the development of the conching process in 1879, made chocolate cheaper, more palatable, and easier to produce at scale. 

The History of the Chocolate Bar...
British chocolate manufacturer Joseph Fry & Sons produced the first-ever chocolate bar in 1847

In the early 20th century, American entrepreneur Milton S. Hershey introduced the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, establishing The Hershey Company as a key force in the chocolate industry.

Hershey's Chocolate and Industrialization: A Love Story | Chocolate Class

These breakthroughs transformed chocolate from an elite beverage into an everyday snack, opening the door not just to mass production but to mass persuasion. That’s where the story of advertising begins, because from Europe to the United States, and eventually India, chocolate’s success would depend not only on how it was made, but on how it was sold, and what it was made to mean.

Birth of the chocolate ads

In the late 19th century, chocolate brands began targeting the rising middle classes. But with luxury fading from the pitch, a new justification was needed. Health became the hook.

Cadbury and the Joy of Content – The story of Glass and a ...

Brands like Cadbury and Nestlé ran campaigns touting the nutritional benefits of cocoa, framing it as a wholesome food, especially for children and soldiers.

Vintage Poster Cadburys Chocolate Advert 1960s Retro Advert Blue ART Print  A3 A4

Nestle's, Propaganda Chocolate Sweets WWII Chocolate Is a Fighting Food,  USA (1940) #Advertising #Vintage #World War II

Their 'glass and a half' of milk slogan, launched in 1928, positioned the brand as a symbol of trust and nourishment. This rational approach allowed chocolate to move from indulgence to necessity, especially in households where mothers controlled food budgets and purchasing.

Seduction and slogans

By the mid-20th century, the mood shifted. Chocolate ads moved from logic to lust, not just as a health supplement, but as an emotional and sensual experience.

Cadbury’s 'Flake Girl' campaign, launched in 1959, embodied this pivot. Featuring women enjoying chocolate in private, almost orgasmic bliss, it positioned chocolate as a form of female self-expression and indulgence portrayed from a male gaze. For men, meanwhile, chocolate became a tool of romance. The suave 'Milk Tray Man', first seen in 1963, delivered chocolates with James Bond-style flair, driven by the tagline: "And all because the lady loves Milk Tray."

Gary Myers, the original Milk Tray Man.

This was also the era of jingles and taglines, from 'A finger of Fudge is just enough' to 'Obey that urge!' for Aero. These catchy hooks ensured chocolate brands stayed sticky in the consumer’s mind and firmly in the cultural mainstream.

Aero Image

Chocolate and Valentine’s Day

While the romantic origins of Valentine’s Day go back centuries, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that chocolate became central to the celebration, thanks in large part to brands like Cadbury and later Hershey. In 1868, Cadbury introduced the first heart-shaped chocolate box, turning chocolate into a tangible token of affection. Over time, marketers positioned it as the ideal gift, affordable, symbolic, and sensuous.

By the mid-20th century, chocolate had become a fixture in Valentine’s Day advertising, tied closely to themes of courtship and emotional expression. Hershey’s ran print campaigns featuring couples exchanging kisses, often with a Hershey’s Kiss at the centre.

a kiss for you

In Japan, the holiday took on a life of its own, with brands promoting the idea that women should gift chocolate to men, giving rise to 'Giri Choco' (obligation chocolate) and 'Honmei Choco' (true love chocolate). More recently, brands like Ferrero Rocher have launched luxury Valentine’s gift packs, while Cadbury has used digital campaigns like customisable Dairy Milk bars and social media activations encouraging users to 'Share the Love' on Valentine’s Day.

Ferrero Rocher - Valentine Combo Gift Box, 24 pcs- : Amazon.in: Grocery &  Gourmet Foods

This strategic branding has helped drive seasonal sales and firmly embedded chocolate in the language of love, a connection that remains actively reinforced each February through themed packaging, promotions, and emotionally driven storytelling.

Selling feelings, not food

By the 2000s, the most powerful chocolate campaigns weren’t even about chocolate. Cadbury’s 2007 ‘Gorilla’ ad, a drumming primate playing Phil Collins, had nothing to do with cocoa, and everything to do with delight. It became a sensation and redefined how brands approached creativity.

Snickers also took this approach with its 'You’re Not You When You’re Hungry' series, a global hit that used humour, celebrity cameos, and the insight of mood-driven hunger to connect across cultures.

Now, purpose-driven marketing is leading the charge. Tony’s Chocolonely has built its entire identity around being '100% slave free', turning ethics into an emotional selling point. Similarly, Cadbury’s recent campaigns, such as the 2018 ‘Mum’s Birthday’ ad, embrace soft, humane stories of generosity and connection, mirroring its Quaker roots.

Chocolate and the Indian imagination

While Europe industrialised and advertised chocolate into everyday life, India’s relationship with it took a different route. For decades, chocolate remained a colonial luxury, something exotic, Western, and firmly outside the cultural mainstream.

But then Cadbury entered the picture, shifting how the idea of 'sweet' was culturally understood and represented.

cadbury print

When Cadbury set up operations in India in 1948, it faced stiff cultural competition. The country already had a rich tradition of sweets, mithai, tied to every celebration, festival, and family ritual. Chocolate, by comparison, felt childish or foreign.

The breakthrough came in 1994 with the now-iconic ‘Asli Swad Zindagi Ka’ ad. It featured a young woman joyfully dancing on a cricket field after a winning shot, chocolate in hand. It was more than an ad. It was a symbol of modern, liberated India, and it shattered the myth that chocolate was just for kids.

Then came ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’. The campaign didn’t fight against mithai, it co-opted it. Cadbury positioned Dairy Milk not as a Western snack, but as a modern meetha. Suddenly, people were gifting Dairy Milk at Diwali, using it in weddings, and even offering it in religious ceremonies.

This wasn't a marketing strategy. It was cultural engineering.

Niche, not culture

Nestlé and Amul, Cadbury’s main rivals in India, took different approaches, with mixed success. Nestlé, recognising Cadbury’s dominance in cultural celebration, opted for niche positioning. KitKat owned the concept of a 'break' via the 'Have a Break' campaign, appealing to students and office-goers. Munch focused on sensory satisfaction, the crunch, positioning it as a confidence booster for Gen Z. 

Amul entered the chocolate category in 1970, making it one of the earliest Indian players in the segment. Backed by its dairy heritage and brand recognition, the company had a solid foundation to build on. However, its presence in the chocolate market has remained relatively modest. Amul's chocolate advertising has been sporadic and less culturally resonant compared to the long-running, emotionally anchored narratives of competitors like Cadbury.

Amul - one of india's best loved brand till today - old ad for their  chocolates.

One challenge has been the overshadowing effect of Amul’s flagship butter advertising, centred around the iconic ‘Amul Girl’. This has led to a situation where many consumers are either unaware of or indifferent to its chocolate offerings.

Amul Dark Chocolate: Assorted Pack Of 55%,75% And 90%, 450 Grams :  Amazon.in: Grocery & Gourmet Foods

 

Despite this, the brand maintains a visible presence in certain segments, particularly dark chocolate, which has seen growing consumer interest in recent years. Whether this niche can serve as a growth area will likely depend on how clearly and consistently Amul chooses to define its positioning in an increasingly crowded market.

The evolution of chocolate advertising, globally and in India, is a study in storytelling. From its origins as a sacred currency to a mass-market treat, chocolate has never just sold itself. It has always needed a story of health, love, power, or purpose.

Today, the market is shifting again. Sugar is under scrutiny, and consumer preferences are shaped by concerns around health, sustainability, and ethics. Dark chocolate, functional foods, and low-sugar options are on the rise.

At the same time, the chocolate industry faces criticism over long-standing labour practices, with several major companies linked to cases of modern-day slavery and exploitative supply chains. In this climate, brands are being called to craft messages and take actions that satisfy both palate and principle.

But the underlying rule remains unchanged: advertising isn’t just about what chocolate is. It’s about what it means, in a moment, a culture, or a memory.

And in that sense, the most successful chocolate brands today aren’t just selling sweets, they’re selling stories. Stories that not only evoke nostalgia and indulgence but also acknowledge the ethical responsibilities tied to their supply chains. In doing so, they remind consumers, and themselves, of the moral obligations required to maintain a system that is transparent, fair, and free from exploitation.

 

 

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