Lindt is a love brand with a top awareness and qualitative perception score in the Italian chocolate market. But consumers had different feelings about the Maître Chocolatier.

A research conducted by the media agency revealed mixed feelings about this figure: more than 60% interviewees stated they would like to meet the Lindt Maîtres Chocolatiers in person, while nearly 50% thought that they were just characters created for Lindt commercials.

In real life, a Lindt Maître Chocolatier is a passionate professional that actively contributes to Lindt’s product innovation. The brand wanted to reinforce the figure’s credibility and uniqueness, reaching a wide audience (responsible for domestic purchases) while conveying the brand positioning and values with an engaging and emotional tone of voice.

The main target audience is represented by people responsible for domestic purchases, with a particular focus on 35-54 y.o. middle-to-high class individuals.

The content strategy started with a teasing campaign on Lindt's social media accounts, showing the TV show judges looking for the Lindt Maître Chocolatier, suddenly disappeared from product packaging. This was the kickoff of their mission: to find a new Maître Chocolatier.

In synergy with the teasing activation, promotional visuals appeared in the most relevant point of sales (FMCG distribution, flagship stores) in Italy.

A promotional TV campaign ran two weeks before and during the airing of the show (5 weekly episodes from November 20th to December 18th, 2021), while the talents involved produced branded posts on their social profiles to increase the hype.

Lindt launched for Christmas a limited edition box, containing all the key franchise products featured in the show, to further complete the audience experience.

A careful scouting activity was conducted to select the best production houses and TV channel for the project and assure the correct context for the show.

The shooting was completed in the middle of May 2021.

The selected TV channel - TV8 - is Italy’s main FTA (free to air) channel for talent and cooking shows, and the host and artistic talents were already very well known to its audience, ensuring to the format immediate familiarity and attractiveness.

The social teasing campaign started in October, with the first episode aired on November 20th and the final on December 18th. The airing period represents a strategic slot for Lindt, aligned with the chocolate consumption peak season.

9 million net reach between the TV show and social paid visibility

25% dwell time (in line with the average of similar TV talent/cooking shows)

Media value earned about 405,000€

80% positive sentiment on social media

+40% IG / FB followers of Lindt Italia brand profiles during the airing month

The TV program helped reinforcing the Maître Chocolatier’s image significantly more than the ad for the show alone:

85% trust (+ 11 points)

84% credibility (+ 11 points)

74% relevance (+ 16 points)

81% uniqueness (+14 points)

and… one new talented Maître Chocolatier and her Limited Edition available from September 2022 in Lindt stores and on lindt.it online shop.