Lindt Get It Right Every Ad. Here’s How

There is maybe no brand better than Lindt at sticking to one of the most important rules in marketing – “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. The chocolate maker’s performance on our Test Your Ad platform is fearsomely consistent – more than 10 5-Star ads, and an average of 4.6-Stars in the UK and 4.8-Stars in the US.

Even with the advantage of a product people love, this is an exceptional performance – no other chocolate brand comes near Lindt’s average. The brand have found a formula that works and execute it time and again.

So while it’s not a great shock to see them at the top of the US Christmas ad rankings this year with this latest 5-Star ad, it is an opportunity to unwrap Lindt’s approach and see what makes it work.

A BRAND MASCOT

The Lindt Christmas ad starts with a shot of Lindt’s ‘Master Chocolatier’, mixing chocolate somewhere in the Swiss Alps. The handsome Master Chocolatier turns up in almost every Lindt ad and is a very old school kind of brand mascot. He doesn’t have adventures, he doesn’t speak, he’s more like the Jolly Green Giant or KFC’s Colonel Sanders – a reassuring and distinctive symbol of the brand’s heritage and quality.

AN EMOTIONAL INSIGHT

The Master Chocolatier isn’t the star of the ad, though. The main character is an ordinary Lindt customer, in this case a woman at a Christmas party. While other confectionery brands might emphasise the fun, social elements of the scenario Lindt takes a different tack. A Lindt chocolate lets the woman have a moment of indulgence entirely to herself, a break from and escape from the social whirl.

It connects the indulgence of the chocolate with a need for “me” time we all sometimes feel, which gives the ad extra emotional resonance.

A PREMIUM PRODUCT

Finally, Lindt ads show plenty of close ups of the chocolate, often with a voiceover describing the process and what makes it special. Voiceovers can put an emotional dampener on ads, but with Lindt they work to underline that this is a premium product and one that’s made with special care. In that sense they tie right back to the opening of the ad, with the Master Chocolatier.

So every element of the ad is working together to reinforce the central idea that a Lindt chocolate is a particular treat, a moment to be savoured not just a casual snack. It’s a great example of a brand nailing a ‘mass premium’ positioning of everyday luxury, and as Lindt’s very consistent Test Your Ad scores prove it works almost every time.

Christmas ads in the US generally avoid big sentimental narratives in favour of more product-centred work with a bit of seasonal trimmings. Lindt are exceptional at this kind of advertising, which looks a lot easier to do than it actually is.