Markus Wilda, Head of Marketing, Maestrani Swiss Chocolates

What are the important elements of a good gift?
The symbolism as well as the gesture is the most important thing, even more important than the actual gift. He has thought of me. And yet the gift must have value. Why else do private brands have a problem establishing themselves as gifts? Because they have a deeper value in the mind of the consumer. If I want to express full appreciation, then I do it with a noble brand such as Sprüngli and not with a private label. The recipient knows the approximate value of the gift and will then quickly say to himself; Ok, the value of this friendship is....

What is Maison Cailler?
Individual chocolate. Every taste is different. They promote that everyone can have their own taste. I have already done the Cailler test.

What do you think about it?
Exciting approach. It is very elaborate and very complex. It takes a lot of communication to make the concept understandable. This is always associated with a high financial outlay. The problem with the message is that it is extremely complex and requires explanation. The question is, how long does a consumer have to decode this message? What is understood are the simple messages to which we have affinity. The question is, how affine are people to the topic?

How will chocolate be given as a gift in the future?
In the future, appreciation will continue to be the central element of every gift. In this respect, it will be even more golden and high quality in the future. Packaging will become more and more elaborate.

Andreas Trümpler, Director Marketing & Development, Confiseur Läderach

What are the important elements of a good gift?
Several: if I know the recipient well, then a good gift is something I find for him. For example, if I know he likes dark chocolate, then I buy him a special dark chocolate product with a special designation of origin. And then it has to be packaged in a cool way. It has to be a little different than just zero eight fifteen. You have to see the love a little bit.

What is Maison Cailler?
The concept is exciting. You can put something together. The idea of the special compilation, the own mixture, I find this idea good.... But what is lived is too technical, i.e. functionally perfect boxes, immaculate packaging, but no emotions. Although Maison Cailler promises emotions, they deliver an "apothecary box", perfect but ice cold.

What do you think about it?
The idea is interesting and has potential. However, the origin and size of the company behind Maison Cailler is too obvious. Nestlé is strong in well thought-out technologies, i.e. the perfectly organized implementation by engineers and specialists. Unfortunately, the emotional component seems to be forgotten. The consumer wants to be surprised and feel personally addressed. I think the packaging is well designed, well thought out and functional; it is protected from throwing, it has a cool design and offers an experience when you open it, but the emotionality is still missing. In addition, the product lacks attention to detail; the contents of the packs seem very industrial, somewhat uncharitable and arbitrary. However, I believe that Maison Cailler will recognize these opportunities and continue to develop successfully. Nespresso is a good example from the same house, where the combination of a technically perfect product with the right emotions became a success.

How will chocolate be given as a gift in the future?
Gifting will always be an important part of the chocolate business.... At the same time, individuality will play an increasingly important role in the future. The consumer wants to be able to order his own personal mix. And from that, also to be able to put together something individual for someone, combined with the message "I have put together something personal for you. I think you'll like this." The chocolate business of the future will become even more individual and personal. The question here is whether a corporation that is successful in large quantities will be able to manage this complexity in detail, or whether this is and will remain more the territory of the many small suppliers.

Serge Doutaz, Head of Marketing & Sales, Chocolat Frey

What are the important elements of a good gift?
A gift should not be mass-produced, but something individual, personal. The gift should show the recipient that he is important to the giver. This importance can be expressed by the value of the gift, but also by a certain originality and by the "something special". And perhaps the gift should also contain a statement about the giver himself.

What is Maison Cailler?
Maison Cailler is multi-faceted. It offers consumers the opportunity to put together a personalized gift and then have it beautifully packaged and shipped.

What do you think about it?
A very exciting and also very entrepreneurial approach. I'm impressed that Nestlé is thinking about new consumer benefits and trying to satisfy them with this new type of product. But the people at Maison Cailler will certainly find that out for themselves relatively quickly. I am convinced of that.

How will chocolate be given as a gift in the future?
Especially for the younger generation, the old, traditional gift is becoming more and more boring. To make gifts more interesting in the future, I think you have to personalize them. However, gifts will not only be sold via the Internet in the future; the traditional sales channels will hold their own. So the real challenge is to be able to offer consumers a personalized gift in the future without an overly complex manufacturing process and without relying solely on the Internet as a distribution channel.

Click here for the article from the print edition: Difficult and still great.

 

Maison Cailler like in the old days

26 years later, Nestlé wants to repeat this unique success and 12 months ago launched Maison Cailler, a completely new chocolate concept. In its press release, Nestlé writes: " At Maison Cailler, the traditional chocolatier's art of Cailler merges with the most exquisite ingredients and a tailor-made service to create haute couture chocolate of first-class quality." We understood that. But we didn't quite understand the new Maison Cailler concept. We asked ourselves whether this is due to our inability to understand or whether this concept is actually not very easy to understand, and therefore, as part of a small study on Maison Cailler, we first talked to three of Maison Cailler's competitors and then also talked on site with Cedric Lacroix, CEO of Maison Cailler, André Hefti, Marketing Manager Maison Cailler, and with Florian Helmke-Becker from The Pool and responsible for PR.

With quite amazing results and a complete change of heart on our part. But take a look for yourself. Maison Cailler describes its offering as follows: "Maison Cailler offers the ultimate luxury in indulgence: personalized chocolate." With a specially developed process, connoisseurs can determine their personal chocolate character in the comfort of their own home - the "tailor-made" chocolate follows by return of post! Maison Cailler, the new luxury brand from Cailler, creates chocolate tailored to individual tastes. In numerous sensory studies, Maison Cailler has developed an exclusive process to reveal individual aromatic preferences and thus determine the personal chocolate character. This means that connoisseurs - whether for themselves or as a gift for their best friends - can rely on tailor-made indulgence, a box of chocolates full of favorites.
 
When an order is placed, for example, the recipient first receives the ChocoTasteur. The box contains five different chocolate samples. These are evaluated online in a simple questionnaire, and the corresponding chocolate character is determined on the basis of the scientific process. Based on this profile, Maison Cailler creates a selection of fresh chocolates in a second step, which is perfectly matched to the consumer's preferences and reaches him within 48 hours. Whether ChocoArty, ChocoCooning or ChocOla, the selection is made from 21 different recipes exclusively created to delight the palate of the discerning chocolate lover. The chocolates are supplied in coffers of one to five layers - as assortments, with just a single variety or regularly as exceptional limited editions.

Character online

Means the following: The whole thing is an online offer and only an online offer. I order a sample pack of different chocolate pieces in different flavors. I taste the chocolate pieces and rate them online on the Internet. Based on this rating, my "character" is determined, and according to this character I receive a special chocolate selection. That's why Maison Cailler's advertising says: "Your taste has character. Because it really does.
 
These characters are also described on the Maison Cailler website. For the ChocoCocooning character, for example, it says: Long live naturalness. They are trusting, confident and loyal. They value sincere relationships, nature and an original way of life. Their home is a cozy, warm cocoon, characterized by plain white porcelain and honey-scented wood. You love to cook and bake and spoil your loved ones with homemade gifts. Your motto: "Clear as a mountain stream". You like simple ingredients like chocolate with fresh milk, noble vanilla, fine hazelnuts or caramel according to an old recipe.

Gift as a goal

But the character is just the beginning, because Maison Cailler not only redefines chocolate consumption, it also wants to establish itself above all as a future gift concept. So you shouldn't so much order the chocolate for yourself as give it to someone as a gift. That is, first of all I don't give him the chocolate but rather the selection package, on the basis of which the chocolate taste can be determined, on the basis of which I then get my chocolate character selection. And this is not just any chocolate, but a very special chocolate, haute couture made from the very best cocoa beans, produced by the very best chocolatiers and packaged in the very best way. Cedric Lacroix sums it up: "I am convinced that the Maison Cailler way is the way chocolate will be sold in the future. Personalization is a trend, client service is a must, brand engagement is a must, social media is a must, and e-commerce is booming."

Two problems

For all its future, Maison Cailler is struggling with two main problems at the moment: firstly, emotions and secondly, understanding. Maison Cailler is not yet emotional. "Schoggi ", says André Hefti, "works 100 percent through emotions. Sales have to be emotional; that's the case with all luxury products. A visit to the chocolatier is emotional. Communicating these emotions via the Internet is very difficult. Because quasi par défaut, the Internet is distant." And the concept isn't really understood yet either. "At the beginning," says André Hefti, "we overestimated the consumer a bit at best and had to make some adjustments there. Message simplified. In the sense of an elevator pitch, where you have to explain the system in the shortest possible time and at the same time create an emotional connection."

Two approaches

Maison Cailler tried and still tries to address these two issues through various adaptations. On the one hand, they want to use social media to establish a closeness and emotional connection with the customer. That's why on Maison Cailler's Facebook page you don't see the company, nor the factory, but five employees talking about their everyday lives. Even the website, which was beautiful but also a bit cold in the beginning, is now trying to be warmer and more emotional. On the other hand, they are trying to simplify and emotionalize the problem of understanding. The solution can be seen in the new campaign. The message and the visual structure have been drastically simplified. Less small, different things, but rather a clear image with clear access. In the first campaign, according to André Hefti, they had been too progressive in terms of content and had also already talked about the different Schoggi characters. Everything was far too detailed. The new campaign focuses on a simple, clear and, above all, emotional hook. Take a look at the two ads and judge for yourself. Maybe it's a bit more emotional now, and maybe a bit simpler. All in all, it's better.

Still great

But the adaptations show above all what is really great about Maison Cailler: you adapt. Perhaps one day you will find the chocolate in the Nespresso flagship store and be able to taste and order it there and then. We, for example, would like to be able to choose chocolate that suits the character of the person receiving the gift, because engaging with your counterpart, thinking about them, what they would like, is the most beautiful gift. Nestlé also does not assume that they know everything and can plan everything. No, rather they set up the project generously and for the long term, study consumer reactions and optimize continuously. All according to the trial-and-error principle. That's why Cedric Lacroix quite rightly said: "Our biggest problem: loosing the vision! Loosing sight of where we want to go!" This is precisely why Maison Cailler is a great project, which we can only hope will be successful and thus also serve as a model for far-sighted, entrepreneurial action.

David Guggenbühl and Boris R. Lautenbach

ChoCocooning
Long live naturalness
They are trusting, confident and loyal. They value sincere relationships, nature and an original way of life. Your home is a cozy, warm cocoon, characterized by plain white china and honey-scented wood. You love to cook and bake and spoil your loved ones with homemade gifts. Your motto: "Clear as a mountain stream". You like simple ingredients like chocolate with fresh milk, noble vanilla, fine hazelnuts or caramel according to an old recipe.

ChocoArty
Life is a work of art
Sophisticated and always elegant, you prefer to surround yourself with people who have clear views. You yourself do not hang your flag according to the wind. You see challenges as opportunities, as an incentive for top performance. Always on the lookout for new things, you also let your loved ones share in your discoveries. Your motto: "Life is a work of art." You like the refined taste of a dark, tart chocolate - gladly accentuated by delicate vanilla notes or refined by fruity aromas.

ChocHolistic
Life makes happy
You are always optimistic. You feel most comfortable in the company of your friends. Full of energy and enthusiasm, you inspire yourself and others. Somewhere and somehow you always have a project going on. You don't want to do without high-tech, but you are committed to alternative energies, because sustainability is close to your heart. Your motto: "Everyone should be happy." You like milk chocolate just as much as dark, in combination with intense cocoa flavors, roasted hazelnuts and melt-in-the-mouth caramel.

ChocHorizon
To live is to discover
You are a passionate researcher. This curiosity also extends to decoding your own personality. Step by step, you gain self-confidence and understand how to turn your weaknesses into strengths. You love challenges for body and mind and get to the bottom of things. Your motto: "Know yourself!" You like exotic delicacies. The pleasure of refined dark ganaches and milk chocolates, refined with vanilla, fruits or spices. The ideal combination? Sensual textures and rich flavors.

ChocOla
The full life
You are in the here and now. You love strong feelings and experience every moment as something extraordinary. You don't let setbacks stop you. Together with your friends - the more the merrier - you constantly want to experience something new and get excited about something special. Your motto: "Enjoy life together". You like creamy dark or milk chocolate with intense caramel, almond and citrus flavors. You like to experiment, to discover new flavors again and again.