Chocolate

Because I have a part time job at Fannie May, I chose to analyze one of their images for this week's artifact. When I'm at work, I am surrounded by images, advertisements, and packaging that is meant to be decoded by consumers as "gourmet," "indulgent," "sinful," "delicious," and the last goes on. A pound of chocolate in-store is $22.99, and on the website is $24.99--this is not a cheap treat, so the price must be justified to customers, especially customers unfamiliar with the chocolate. Besides being part of my job description to "talk up" the candy and its quality, there is visual evidence all over the store (and website) trying to paint the candy in a way that makes it irresistible--as a gift and for a treat to oneself.

I chose an image of truffles because truffles are the most expensive chocolate Fannie May carries. Whereas a regular pound of chocolate is $22.99 (and depending on the candy, this is usually about 22 pieces--so around a dollar per piece), the price for 10.7 ounces of truffles (16 ounces being a pound) is $17.99. The cause for this price difference is that truffles are handcrafted--but to someone unfamiliar with the process, they would be put off by the increased price of this candy compared to others. So why would they buy it?

The first thing to notice is that the truffles are boxed in packaging that is red and gold. Red, as I mentioned in my last post, is a color that is used to get one's attention. A regular box of Fannie May is white, so immediately this is different. The gold text gives the box an extra embellishment--gold is coveted, gold is expensive, and gold is one of the colors that signifies royalty--therefore the mere packaging of this product gives the impression that it is fancy, pricey, and special. Even the font has an artistic, cursive "T" followed by all caps, which are meant to get our attention.

This image continues to play up the colors of gold and red. The truffles are lying on a red napkin upon a gold tray. When I see a gold tray, the first thing that comes to my mind is that whatever is on the tray is fit for a king. I have never known anyone to eat off of a gold tray, but it is what I imagine would be the dishes of choice of kings and queens. This may be decoded differently by others, but my decoding tells me that whatever is upon this tray is extremely pricey. Even the white cushion the truffles are placed upon looks royal--as if someone (a butler or maybe even a servant) has brought the food to someone who is perhaps eating them in bed.

For all these reasons, the truffles may appeal to a customer who doesn't mind spending a little extra for something that appears to be worth it. For people that won't only the best when they purchase a gift, or even a treat for themselves, they may spring for this more expensive option simply because of how they decode the colors, text, and imagery. However, the cynics may decode the advertisement as being excessive or maybe too showy or too extravagant, and may prefer to spend less on a candy that is more suited to them. Perhaps the extravagance of the truffles makes them feel uncomfortable and they'd rather have an "average" box of candy.