Hot chocolate is now being marketed as a flavor
Implications - The term "hot chocolate" is now being used to describe flavors in products that are often neither hot nor beverages. As brands continue to seek out new ways to market commonplace products, using this term as interchangeable with "chocolate" works to reframe these products in consumers' minds. With consumers increasingly overrun with choice in the food industry, this simple repositioning serves to differentiate those who use it from their competitors.
Workshop Question - How can your brand reposition its products through simple tweaks in terminology or phrasing?
Trend Themes
1. Reinventing Hot Chocolate Flavors - Using hot chocolate flavors to describe non-beverage and non-hot products for differentiation.
2. Chilled and Refreshing Holiday Beverages - Consumers seek chilled versions of holiday classics like eggnog, cider and hot chocolate for a new way to experience refreshment.
3. Energy Snacks with Unconventional Forms and Flavors - Creating portable snacks that provide both quick-release and long-lasting energy from complex and simple carbohydrates with unique forms and flavors.
Industry Implications
1. Food and Beverage - Innovation in products and marketing of flavors and holiday beverages.
2. Sports and Fitness - New energy snack products for training and physical pursuits.
3. Consumer Goods - Rebranding and differentiating products with creative marketing efforts.
