Abstract
Chocolate advertising has historically functioned as a potent medium, transcending the mere promotion of confectionery. From the late nineteenth century, manufacturers leveraged evocative imagery to construct brand identities that resonated with cultural values, transforming ordinary advertisements into compelling narratives of aspiration, comfort, and luxury. This article examines the advertising strategies of prominent European chocolatiers during this period, highlighting posters as both marketing instruments and cultural artifacts.
The methodological framework applies semiotic concepts from Barthes (1967), Eco (1968, 1989, 1992), and Rose (2001), underscoring the difference between vision—what the eye sees—and visuality—the cultural lens through which images are interpreted. This perspective illuminates how advertisers infused moral, emotional, and ideological layers into their posters, thereby shaping not only consumer choices but also collective memory and societal ideals.
Employing a comparative case study approach, the article begins with Barcelona-based Chocolates Amatller and its 1897 advertising poster by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, whose art-nouveau style elevated the brand by associating it with artistic sophistication. This is contrasted with Matías López, a Madrid-based chocolatier who introduced Spain’s first advertising poster in 1871. Featuring caricatures by Ortega y Vereda, López’s poster humorously promoted the nutritional benefits of chocolate. The analysis then turns to the French chocolatier Menier, whose 1893 poster by Firmin Bouisset depicted a child, symbolizing familial warmth and nourishment. Finally, the British perspective is examined through Rowntree’s 1895 launch of Elect Cocoa, illustrated by the Beggarstaff Brothers, who emphasized product naming to reinforce brand identity.
By integrating semiotics into the historiography of marketing and business history, this interdisciplinary study demonstrates that advertising was not solely about selling products but about shaping cultural narratives and anchoring brands within societal consciousness. Situated in their cultural and historical contexts, these posters reveal the transformative power of marketing and branding in sculpting consumer culture. Advertising thus emerges as a form of cultural storytelling that extends beyond immediate commercial aims to influence collective memory and social norms. Ultimately, the research shows how chocolate advertising served as a vehicle for articulating societal aspirations and forging emotional bonds, leaving an enduring imprint on the late nineteenth-century cultural landscape.