Chocolate by the numbers September 28, 2008

OK, I’m finally not mad about the airlines or PETA.  I have moved on to happier things like this last post on chocolate and marketing.  There is no doubt a high demand for chocolate–there are 650 companies in the US that manufacture or supply chocolate, 35 states that are involved in the industry and 65,000 jobs revolving around chocolate manufacturing. 

So how do these numbers stack up to the consumption of chocolate?  I could recite tons of numbers and statistics, but because of the wonderful world of linkage, you can just click here to find out who consumes chocolate where and how. 

What I’m most interested in is whether women actually crave (and therefore consume) chocolate more than men, or if this is a huge marketing ploy by genuis chocolate manufacturers everywhere.  It seems that women do actually crave chocolate more–40% of women crave chocolate, as opposed to 15% of men.  One theory is that women crave it more during PMS, perhaps due to magnesium deficiencies. 

Based on everything that I’ve read over the past few weeks, it seems to me that marketing might have it right after all.  It just might be true that chocolate is craved and consumed by women more than men.  What I find more interesting than that is the long history of the chocolate mystique.  Why all the fuss?  Chocolate is worthy of the gods, more enjoyable than sex and the be all, end all of that pesky little day in February (no, I’m not bitter, I’m happily attached, I just don’t think anyone should have to be reminded by Hallmark to show their love to their significant other). 

I don’t know if I will ever know the answer to this.  What I do know is that I’m going to the freezer to break out my Hershey’s bar.

Nipples, anyone? September 28, 2008

This is so ridiculous.  Enough said…

United Airlines will never get my business again! September 20, 2008

Check out United Airlines’ customer service commitment.  Now, let’s break that down and go over exactly what I did NOT receive during a recent trip with them.

“Our customers have the right to expect–to demand–respect, courtesy, fairness and honesty…”  In the week and a half that I have been dealing with the United Airlines customer service representatives, I have received everything but respect, courtesy, fairness and honesty.  They lost my bag on the D.C. to Atlanta, taking it off in Atlanta instead of leaving it on the plane with me.  When I arrived in Missoula, I was assured that the bag would arrive the next day and would be delivered to my house.  This was Tuesday night.  On Wednesday, I heard nothing from the airline, and my bag did not arrive.  On Thursday, I called twice, left a message both times, and never heard a word.  On Friday, I finally called an 800 number and was told my bag had been in Missoula since Wednesday. 

“In the unlikely event your luggage does not arrive with you, we will collect a delayed baggage report and initiate a search for the missing piece(s) immediately…And once your belongings are located, they will be returned as quickly as possible.”–That is part of United’s lost baggage policy.  One they did not stick to with me.

I have since written two letters to United regarding the poor treatment I received on my last flight.  I have not heard from them, and their policy states they will respond to me in 30 days.  I, for one, do not believe that 30 days is appropriate.  I will write them an email every week until I hear a response.  Flying is getting hard and expensive enough, and while prices are soaring, service is plummeting.

Dark Chocolate Truffles September 18, 2008

As I sit here relishing my dark chocolate truffle straight out of the freezer, I keep trying to read up on chocolate and religion (during commercial breaks of The Hills, of course).  It basically was treated as a delicacy in ancient times, even being served in golden goblets.  What’s really interesting, though, is the modern reference of chocolate and religion, even if it’s not directly tied in to a particular religious practice.  Check these out…

What’s more amazing to me is the tie between women and chocolate.  Look at these pictures:

Chocolate candies shaped as shoes.

When I look at these two pictures, I see chocolate and women in the context of shopping and sex.  It seems that this view may not be just the work of the big marketing machines, either.  Check out this post from Danielle Egan, who examines if, and possibly why, some women actually enjoy chocolate instead of sex.  There seem to be some scientific explanations behind those cravings.  It also seems that women prefer shopping to sex (sorry guys!).

I haven’t quite reached my determination on whether or not women prefer chocolate more than men.  The cold hard figures will be outlined next time.  I do have to say, however, that maybe the marketers did their homework.  Maybe, instead of starting with the chocolate and trying to figure out how to make it fit into an advertising campaign, they first looked at what women want.  After all, women do make most of the purchasing decisions.  Especially when it comes to something that ranks right up there with sex and chocolate…

 

Chocolate craving September 10, 2008

This post started as a casual conversation between myself and a co-worker.  We were chatting about my recent impulse buy at the drug store–a bag of chocolate truffles.  As I walked by their display, on my way to the laundry aisle, I could just imagine how they would taste after a few hours in the freezer.  As I was explaining this to my office mate, he posed this question:  “Why do women crave chocolate?”  And I began to wonder–do women crave (or consume) chocolate that much more than men, or is it a marketing ploy?  Chocolate has become associated with everything from sex to a woman’s cravings at that “special time” of the month.  Is this a true association based on fact, or is it a way to create a market for the industry?

It looks as if this will become a multi-post subject, so I’ll start this discussion with a little bit of chocolate history.  According to the Field Museum, chocolate was first utilized in ancient Mexico and Central America, where it was combined with various seasonings to make a drink.  In the 16th century, cacao was taken back to Spain after Hernan Cortes conquered Mexico. 

The Spanish, however, didn’t like the bitter taste of the chocolate drink.  They began to add flavors like cinnamon and sugar.  Of course, they got hot chocolate (although, I bet they didn’t enjoy it with marshmallows, which is my favorite drink when there’s lots of snow on the ground outside).  As the chocolate craze began to spread around Europe, it became a hot commodity with the royals.  In France, no one was allowed to drink hot chocolate except the aristocracy!

The industrial age gave people of normal means a chance to enjoy this treasure, as chocolate began to be made into a solid candy at a reasonable price.  As chocolate began to enjoy mass appeal, advertising campaigns popped up, particularly aimed at women and children.  Interestingly enough, chocolate was distributed to soldiers as part of their rations during World War I. 

Chocolate has since been established as a candy, religious symbol and cure for illness.  Next time, we’ll explore these areas, and see if we can find out anything else about how chocolate has become so tied in with women and pleasure.

To read more about chocolate and its history, check out the Field Museum’s chocolate pages.  This is where I found my information, and there’s plenty more!

Dog website! September 3, 2008

The National Geographic Dogs (Nat Geo Dogs) website is still in beta, but I checked it out via BzzAgent (which, I love!!).  I am definitely a dog lover.  In fact, there’s my little one there.  If you are a dog lover as well, check this out and let me know what you think!

This is the day he learned that my bed was super comfy!