Gourmet chocolate makers Scharffen Berger recently launched a unique new out-of-home advertising campaign in San Francisco, which ties into social media by featuring everyday consumers as its stars at 50 digital boards located throughout the city. The campaign, created by local agency Camp + King, celebrates the “Wonderfully complicated” chocolate made by Scharffen Berger and the eclectic personalities of its consumers with various creative executions, featuring lines such as "I am dark, spicy and mysterious" or "I am sweet, salty and a little nutty," among others. It acts as an homage to both the taste of the brand's gourmet treats, and the people who enjoy them.
The campaign, created by local agency Camp + King, celebrates the “Wonderfully complicated” chocolate made by Scharffen Berger
What makes the campaign so unique is that as the initial ads gain traction, additional creative will begin to appear featuring the people of San Francisco, a city famous that's almost as famous for it's chocolate as it is for its tram system. You don't need to be a resident of the city to get involved either, anyone can take a self portrait (of selfie if you want to use the modern parlance) and share it on Instagram with the #wonderfullycomplicated hashtag. The team at Camp + King will then select the best of these photos, which will appear alongside the existing ads on digital bus shelters around the city and on the Scharffen Berger website. Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms worldwide, and food is one of the most popular topics searched for and shared via the service, so the two companies really are a match made in (chocolate) heaven.
A video introduction to the “Wonderfully Complicated” campaign
Bernie Bana, Scharffen Berger's vice president, said they think it's time for artisanal chocolate to proudly stand up for its unique flavours and depth. He calls their fans “Taste explorers, people with palates that crave adventure as much as comfort,” and feels the new campaign “Brings this to life." He also feels that by giving the out-of-home- campaign a digital edge and tying it to social media, it will allow them to make a more direct and meaningful connection with chocolate lovers in San Francisco, “Celebrating that we are both one of life's great pleasures that are proudly, boldly and always wonderfully complicated."
What makes the campaign so unique is that as the initial ads gain traction, additional creative will begin to appear featuring the people of San Francisco
Scharffen Berger Chocolate is a subsidiary of The Hershey Company, which launched back in 1997, but started to earn a name for itself as one of the world's finest artisanal chocolate makers the following year. The company recently added four new, rich and distinctive chocolate bars to their line of products: 72% Cacao Signature Dark Chocolate, 33% Cacao Smooth Milk Chocolate, 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Pistachios and Sea Salt and 33% Cacao Milk Chocolate with Toasted Coconut and Macadamia. These four new Scharffen Berger chocolate bars are currently available throughout the San Francisco Bay area.
Official Scharffen Berger Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer, musician and chocolate lover from Kidderminster in the UK. If he could be reincarnated as anything, it would definitely have to be an oompa loompa.
