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Chocolate Industry in China: The popularity of Dove among Chinese consumer

With the development of China’s market, the chocolate Industry has already become a favorite food for Chinese people. Many snack producers, from all over the world have been attracted by its rapid annual growth and its large consumer group. In this article, more emphasis will be put on contemporary Chinese consumer’s preference in chocolate and candy through an introduction of the hottest brand in China in order to highlight the uniqueness of the market.

The most popular Chocolate Brand in China: DOVE®

DOVE® chocolate has already dominated the Chinese market for a long time. It is a brand where consumers could have a convenient and easy access when purchasing Dove Chocolate. Indeed, Chinese customers could find the product in whatever scale of the market including supermarkets like Carrefour and CVSs like 7-11.

Created with love and passion by the Greek-American founder Leo Stefanos, DOVE® Chocolate has been a rich family tradition since the 1950s. In the 1970s over one million DOVEBAR® were sold in a single year by street vendors to eager children and adults. The popularity of the brand soon caught the attention of another family of expert “chocolatiers”. M&M/Mars acquired DOVE® in 1986 as a huge opportunity for their company, and refined DOVE® Chocolate’s purity and taste before introducing milk and dark chocolate bars in the ’90s.

Dove is the leader of the chocolate Industry in China because the brand has perfectly understood and used the Chinese cultural codes such as the importance of the gifts, the importance of the family, the concept of women “princess’” and the prince charming as a provider of wealth etc.

 What makes DOVE® so popular in the Chinese Market?

The reason for Dove’s popularity in China can be divided into three parts of factors; the taste, the packaging, as well as the advertisement contribution.

• First of all, DOVE® chocolate is much more delicate than the local brands. Some traditional Chinese snack brands are also producing similar products as DOVE®, however, most of them have nothing to compare with DOVE® products because of its unique ingredients and taste.

What makes DOVE® CHOCOLATE so silky smooth, so special? DOVE® Chocolate’s are made through the combination of fine milling and a right combination of ingredients of which cocoa butter plays a significant role giving a unique and silky texture to the candy. The big Multinational Mars is a family-owned company, and is committed to making our consumer’s life full of chocolate— products such as DOVE® PROMISES Milk and Dark Chocolate – a product made with real cocoa butter. Compared to local brands like ‘Xu-Fu-Ji’ and ‘Da-Ming ’ with rough taste,  DOVE® has astonished Chinese people by its special taste. A lack of local chocolate brands with good taste makes DOVE® a successful entry into China’s market and give the brand the opportunity to win large amounts of consumers who think DOVE® as the symbol of delicate and tasty chocolate.

• Secondly, DOVE® chocolate has nice packaging with a neat wrap which leaves a deep impression of delicious and good quality in the consumers’ mind. In addition, DOVE® always produces new products with special packaging which propose meaningful designs. Chinese consumers, in fact, care about the packaging of a product in large extend. Because chocolate is also a good choice to buy as a present. How the chocolate appearance has been the most vital factor for the purchasing decision as a gift.
• Last but not least, DOVE® has produced many TV ads in China’s market. This brand seasonally invites the most popular actors and famous young people to shot a cast. Chinese consumers are keen celebrity’s presence in an advertisement. It is indeed, fostering a positive image for the brand that is  already the  leader in the chocolate Industry in China, with 1/3 of the market share when regarding value.

In conclusion, China’s market has offered great opportunities to chocolate producers who have an accurate understanding of the market and are willing to pay emphasis on advertisements.

You would like to know more about China’s market and its insight, contact us dx@daxueconsulting.com