‘Fair and not so square’: Pascal van Ham, Head of Marketing at Tony’s Chocolonely
Pascal van Ham, at the Tony’s Chocolonely office in Amsterdam. Photograph: eatbigfish / PHD Worldwide
How do you educate the world about something as serious as modern slavery while still keeping your product fun? How do you change something as loved as the chocolate business without seeming like a killjoy? And what does it mean to be a ‘cute brand with a very big mouth’ when you never use paid media to share your mission? Launched in the Netherlands to raise awareness of slavery and child labour in the cocoa industry, Tony’s Chocolonely has grown to €55m in annual revenue. Its introduction of an entirely new criteria of choice in the category (would you like slave-free chocolate, or the other kind?) has made it the brand leader in its home market – without any paid advertising. It is now stepping up its expansion internationally. Head of Marketing, Pascal van Ham, shares Tony’s story and the brand’s learning journey along the way.
What is the scale of the problem?
The problems in the cocoa industry are really shocking. 60% of cocoa comes from two countries: Ghana and Ivory Coast, where there are 2.5 million farmers working and producing the cocoa. On their farms, there are 2.1 million children working under illegal circumstances. It’s estimated that 30,000 children and adults are victims of modern slavery – that’s human trafficking and forced labour.
What is the mission?
Our mission is to make 100% slave-free the norm in chocolate. That’s not only the chocolate in our bar, but all chocolate, worldwide. To realise this we have a roadmap, with three pillars. The first is to make people aware of the problem. The second is to lead by example. And the third is to inspire the industry to act and follow our example. When we started 13 years ago, nobody took us seriously. We were this nice, cute brand with a very big mouth. Now, we are the market leader in the Netherlands and a proven success. As a result, big companies want to know more about our sourcing model, how it works, what’s the impact, and that’s very interesting.
The unequally divided bar expresses the brand’s point of view on inequality in the industry.
What do you do differently?
We have a recipe for slave-free cocoa which has five ingredients. Only if used together can the farmers make a living income. The five ingredients start with traceability – so direct relationships in the cocoa chain. We then pay a higher price, 20–25% extra above the normal price of cocoa. We also believe in long-term relationships so that farmers find security and they can invest in their future. Fourth is working together to professionalise the cooperatives (stronger farmers also have more negotiating power when they talk to other buyers). And the last one is increased quality and productivity, to increase their yield and therefore their income.
How do you position Tony’s in the market?
Chocolate is a product that is fun, and should be enjoyed. We want to educate people about the greatness of chocolate, but also make them aware that we have a shared responsibility for the circumstances at the beginning of the chain. Our mission is really big, but we believe that if we have this positive can-do attitude then we will achieve it. So, we want to put a smile on people’s faces in everything that we do. The colourful packaging, for example, gives this optimistic feeling that we can make a change together.
“The colourful packaging gives this optimistic feeling that we can make a change together.”
How do you bring the brand and that Missionary narrative to life?
We see ourselves as a movement. A movement of serious friends in the countries where chocolate is being consumed, and serious farmers in the countries where the cocoa is being produced. We believe in direct relationships in the whole value chain. Our whole way of working together with the farmers is based on the concept of traceability and direct relationships. We believe that if we do the same with our Choco fans then we can have more impact. So, we don’t use paid media, because we try to have this direct relationship with our consumers. Owned and earned channels are the basis of our marketing strategy.
What examples can you share of how you are using those channels?
Pascal van Ham delivering the petition at the senate in the Hague. Photograph: Tony’s Chocolonely
We have our own stores where we tell people about the story of our chocolate and our mission. We publish (photo-expos, books, a documentary) and we organise events. Every month we have an event where we invite consumers to our office. One of the team will give a presentation about our mission, or his or her work. Sometimes it’s marketing, sometimes supply chain, sometimes it’s people and culture. Events are important in terms of owned media. Then, from an earned media point of view, we are born journalists. So, PR for us is very important. Last year, we got over 10,000 people to sign a petition for a law in the Netherlands against child labour and went to offer the petition at the senate in the Hague. It is a very serious environment there. But because we do things differently, I was wearing this big Tony’s Chocolonely suit offering the petition. It made an impact, it was memorable, and it also made people smile – that is our whole goal.
Tell us about how you use the bar itself as media.
We want to reach a lot of people with our message, but it’s difficult if you don’t use paid media. The chocolate bar itself is one of our most important channels. Our bar is divided into unequal pieces to represent the inequality of profits and incomes in the cocoa chain. We get a lot of complaints. Consumers call us and say ‘Why is this unevenly divided?’ There’s always a fight around the kitchen table to see who gets the biggest piece, and it’s difficult to break. But that is why we did it. It’s such a good conversation starter. Our unequally divided bar really tells our story: fair and not so square.
What’s it like to work at Tony’s?
The onboarding at Tony’s is really important because we have this strong culture and way of doing things. It’s very important that everybody understands the mission and the problems in the cocoa industry. So, we have ‘typically Tony’s time’, as we call it. It’s almost like a sort of game, so you have to go through all kinds of stages and do all kinds of activities. At the end, if you have done all the things, you get your Choco title. So, my Choco title is Choco Loco. You also get a profile picture hung on the wall and stamped on a coffee mug. Only when you get handed your own mug are you a real Tony.