Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

Since a tagline needs to both fit with your business name and appeal to your target market, it'd help to know: the name of your business, where it's located, who specifically will buy your products, and why they'd choose your products (instead of other sweets)?

Castle Hill Chocolate
Connecticut


The chocolate industry has shifted from a basic confectionary, to somewhat of a cuisine and customers are demanding higher grades of chocolate, with cleaner ingredients, simplified processing and cultivated via ethical standards. The area in which I have chosen to open my chocolate boutique not only offers the ideal demographic for a successful chocolate business, it also happens to be a very underserved market.

What do you want the tagline to communicate?

You might want to begin by interviewing a dozen people who are in your primary target audience. Find out when and why they buy chocolates, how they typically learn of new shops, what their decision process is like, what other brands they buy ... and what makes them tick: attitudes, values, needs, habits, practices, usage occasions and quantities, etc.

If you do this with a genuine "I-want-to-learn" attitude, and take detailed notes, you'll have a great repository of knowledge that will lead you to a tagline (and a solid benefit-oriented positioning statement that can guide all of your marketing plans). Be sure to capture the words they use. There is gold in those words.


P.S. I'm in Connecticut too ... and I love good chocolate. Let me know when you open your shop! Newtown, right?

Hey Mgoodman... Yes! Newtown. Will let you know for sure! If only my space would open, I would be ready to go... but that’s another discussion.

I have carefully vetted each & every vendor for the quality and taste of their products. Nearly all of the chocolates CHC will carry come from bean to bar sources that use simple, whole, organic ingredients without the use of preservatives and many of which are also gluten free. Luckily, in addition to these criteria, I have also found that many of our vendors source their beans from a variety of countries, which means that CHC can not only offer something for every taste level, but also can open the door to creating a fabulous customer experience as they learn about chocolates they have yet had the opportunity to try for themselves.

Good to know that we are on the same page. I have already taken a survey of sorts prior to the decision to open this sort of chocolate shop. The consensus around here is as follows:

First and foremost, locals are interested in convenience. Having access to a variety of fine chocolates within their own town is the #1 desire. Currently, the 28K residents of Newtown must leave the town to access singular manufacturers of fine chocolate, driving a min of 15 minutes... and as much as 1 hr distance for more variety of chocolate choices. This means that we have an underserved customer base. With that in mind, the vision for our shop became clear... to be THE chocolate shop for Newtown... locally owned, locally operated, with a strong focus on being the source for fabulous chocolate in our community.

What I found most interesting, and what helped narrow our focus in terms of vetting vendors, is what those I surveyed told me they find when they access other “local" chocolatiers. Those surveyed all agree, the chocolate is great...I mean really great. However, I have learned that for many, options are just as important as taste.

The biggest complaint re: options is that they are looking for variety of fine chocolates that are made in consideration of dietary restrictions. Dietary restrictions include; allergies (peanuts, gluten, soy) or other health related considerations, such as diabetes. You wouldn’t believe how many people around here have allergies!!!! Others have shown an interest in organic or at the very least, chocolates that are made with real, whole ingredients without the use of animal fats, soy or preservatives. So what goes into the chocolate is key.

With that in mind, I have found many fabulous options to offer my customer that include - not only gluten free, preservative free & soy free (made with cocoa butter rather than soy lecithin) - but also some that are processed as certified nut free...meaning they are not processed where they can be contaminated with the allergen.

There is also a strong consensus re; unique gifts. Evidently, many would love to give the gift of chocolate, but are not finding the “local” options all that exciting or at the very least, don’t want to travel the distance they would have to travel to pick up a fabulous box of chocolate...(think hostess gift/birthday gift etc). Never mind the convenience of buying for the other major holidays that feature chocolate as a gift...

So, with that said, the focus for the shop became quite clear. An epicurean style chocolate boutique featuring a hand-curated collection of beautiful, delicious, unique, artisan-style, hand-crafted fine chocolates from around the world to feed every chocolate soul in Newtown. The experience of learning about new chocolates for the customer is obviously an added bonus and a good reason to make someone a customer for life. We will also feature a variety of baking chocolates (powders, nibs, extracts), sipping chocolates, hot chocolates and chocolates that can be used in cooking... Yes.. I have found the most amazing chocolate chill rub, and gifts that complement chocolate consumption.

Oh...and I will eventually feature some of my own creations using the same quality ingredients that I expect from my vendors. Custom designs and private pairings will be offered as well. (:

Hope that helps!

Yes. It seems to me that including the local reference in your tagline is critically important for your prospective clients. So something along these lines:

Castle Hill Chocolate
Newtown's Gourmet Chocolatier

Castle Hill Chocolate
A World of Chocolate Right Here in Newtown

Castle Hill Chocolate
Newtown's Sweet Tooth Headquarters


I'm ready for a short ride to Newtown as soon as you're open for business!

Great ideas mgoodman....

Thanks so much!

Where will you be coming from?

xx

Does the name "Castle Hill" sufficiently signify that you're in Newtown (I see that there's a Castle Hill Farm in town)? If so, adding Newtown to your tagline isn't likely to be a strong benefit. Instead, since you're targeting gourmet/epicurean audience, I'd make it clear that you're not simply stocking chocolate bars. For example:

Castle Hill Chocolate: Hand-Crafted and Curated Temptations
Castle Hill Chocolate: Artisanal Sweets For Every Palate

Jay Hamilton-Roth... Thank you for your input!

Yes, the name is quite specific to Newtown, which is why I chose it....good catch.

In fact, the name selection was based on the following reasons:

1) I am in a quintessential New England town, rich in it’s heritage (we enjoy referencing our own).

2) I wanted to create a shop that seemed as if it had always been a staple of the town...making it easy to remember for locals. An off beat, funky name isn’t always the best option in a provincial setting.

3) I am targeting a very specific part of town for my location (the borough)...one that has it’s own “look/feel” style and with that, a few extra guards at the gate. Honoring town history makes sense for both locale and frankly, political reasons.

I agree with your thoughts and truth be told, have been on the fence about if/where to add Newtown in the Logo design. I originally thought of having Newtown, CT somewhere in the logo... CASTLE HILL CHOCOLATE - NEWTOWN, CT.....but have reconsidered swapping Newtown, CT for a tagline. This is why I have posted my question.. in search of a fresh perspective and a bit of a double check.

However, in terms of my target audience....While i will be carrying what is in essence a gourmet/epicurean collection due to the fact that it won’t be overly manufactured, preservative and allergen laden chocolate,... by no means should feel or come across as snooty. I don’t want to send the message that one must have a decreeing palette or an understanding of gourmet to appreciate and enjoy what we have to offer. Instead, I want to relay that we have pulled together a global collection of delicious, well made chocolates for every chocolate lover to discover.. .but without the wordiness.

Make sense?

I like Mr Goodmans:
Castle Hill Chocolate
A World of Chocolate Right Here in Newtown

Regarding your logo, maybe you can work the town name into a banner or ribbon element in the art?
That way it is part of the logo without necessarily being part of the name. A good graphic designer should be able to work that into your design options for you.

Great input jstiles! Thanks!!! I have a team of designers working on ideas right now. (o:

Absolutely agree 100% mgoodman - and I do feel as tho perhaps my initial instincts were correct. Castle hill chocolate- newtown, ct. And leave it at that. Chocolate is the main takeaway and will draw in customers without the possibility of alienating anyone.

You are one lucky guy! Learning about chocolate is fab as it is- getting paid to do it? #careergoals

MGOODMAN... did you get my email? replied to you via my biz acct... not sure if it went to spam