CHOCOLATE BAR | WORKHOUSE #TBT

Challenge: To create a platform for Workhouse branding in the forums of retail, marketing and public relations strategy allowing us to test-market the best of our ideas before we leveraged them to our clients. 

Strategy: Build a trend-relevant chocolate brand and retail store from the ground up. Chocolate Bar, New York’s candy store for grown-ups which offers an artful approach to its products and bespoke gift presentations. Chocolate Bar is cozy but cosmopolitan sweet shop, that has broken chocolate out of its Valentine’s mold. Initial investment $75,000 for first 500 square foot space. Six years later the boutique has bloomed to three stores including Manhattan’s East Village, a restaurant within Henri Bendel and a chocolate pop-up store in New Jersey’s Long Beach Island.

Result: Since its inception in 2002, the brand has won numerous awards including “Best Chocolate Store”from Timeout New York, 2 Citysearch “Best Shopping Awards”, Gourmand World CookbookAward, Crain’s “40 under 40” Award, Gourmet News “20 under 40” Award, London Design Finalist Award and more. Workhouse identified low or no-cost media for each Chocolate Bar communication including editorial on TV, radio, print and online, distribution strategy (trade shows), promotion (art bars/ Warhol Museum, Urban Outfitters), sponsorship, charity, third party endorsements (numerous celebrity) and special events including Sotheby’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Club Monaco, Tonneau, M&O, Powerhouse Books. 

Integrated communications: $0 in media spending, millions in impressions.

30 Stores including location in New York, Dubai, India, Pakistan, and Australia