Church permits the wedding of two Chocolate Brands in Basilica
From 20 years ago....the ecclesiastical authorities in Belgium showed their complete contempt for marriage. Much that has happened since follows.
A chocolate wedding
It was Jacques who asked Callebaut to marry him. Successful publicity stunt by chocolatiers at the Koekelberg Basilica- the National Basilica to the Sacred Heart, where devotion to the Sacred Heart is dying
The hearts of Jacques and Callebaut are no longer up for grabs... They're up for grabs. The two Belgian chocolate brands have decided to join forces after 107 years of celibacy. They have been engaged since last May, but this time the lovebirds have made their union official. And not just anywhere, as it was at the Basilica of Koekelberg that the Cocoa Wedding was celebrated. It was quite a marketing coup for the Jacques Callebaut finest quality couple, who spared no expense.
More than 2,000 people attended the event, and around fifty couples entered the most beautiful bride and groom competition organised for the occasion. The prize was a trip to the Caribbean. The condition was to attend the ceremony in wedding attire. Many jumped at the chance to dig out of their wardrobe the outfit they were never supposed to wear again. In the end, it was the newly engaged couple who came out on top. Marion, 22, and Sébastien, 23, will be getting married next year. Due to a lack of funds, they had not planned a honeymoon: thanks to chocolate, they have.
However, it wasn't this young couple who stole the show from the bride and groom of the day, Mademoiselle Callebaut and Chevalier Jacques, but the artists on stage. Philippe Lafontaine, Urban Trad and Belle Perez charmed the audience, who turned out mainly for the free concerts.
As for Jacques, who is undoubtedly better known than Callebaut to cocoa fans, he will serve as a benchmark brand for consumers. The chocolate, on the other hand, will be Callebaut. It's a blend that's sure to be the talk of the town, thanks to this melt-in-the-mouth combination. And since the brand's new target is the young bride, it's a sure thing.
A marriage of chocolates
Jacques and Callebaut symbolically unite at the Koekelberg Basilica!
It sounds like a big joke (Cathcon: Because it is!), but the Dean of the Koekelberg Basilica has given the go-ahead for an extraordinary wedding to take place there on 25 September: the union of two great names in chocolate, Jacques and Callebaut.
Actors will play the main roles: Mme Callebaut and the knight Jacques, a symbol of the brand for decades (and still used on the new packaging); while the general public will receive their invitation cards a few days before the wedding, delivered by promo boys and girls.
Jacques Chocolaterie took over Callebaut in 2002," says Sabine Lejoly, Marketing Manager. Since then, we've dusted off Jacques and now the makeover is complete: Callebaut will remain more of a professional reference. We clearly want to relaunch the Jacques brand, bring it back to life and increase its impact.
The Belgian brand is being highlighted, even though the recipes are Callebaut's own, as indicated by the small Callebaut Guarantee logo on the new packaging. Consumers who are just starting to discover the products in supermarkets will have to get used to the fact that Callebaut is now part of Jacques!
"We are now ready for a real merger of the two brands", says Jacques, a company that started out in 1896 in Verviers.
To mark the occasion, we've decided to create a real event with a real wedding, in a real place of worship, which lends itself to advertising. The ceremony will be followed by free concerts by Urban Trad, Philippe Lafontaine and Belle Perez.
Needless to say, it was all about money
Callebaut and Jacques merge
Swiss chocolate group Barry Callebaut is taking the Callebaut brand name off the Belgian market. Callebaut's bars will henceforth be sold only under the Jacques name. To announce the merger, the company is throwing a wedding party at the Koekelberg basilica.
"Really, the Callebaut name will not disappear completely," says Sabine Lejoli, Jacques' marketing manager. ,,In our gourmet division, which works for professional customers such as bakeries and chocolatiers, we will continue to use the name. Only in the consumer department does Callebaut disappear, and even there, not completely. The name will remain very small, as a kind of quality stamp, on the packaging."
For the group, strategic advantages were mainly behind the merger. "After the merger, we can come out with one strong brand," says Lejoli. , "That is not only easier for marketing but also for distribution, for example."
In order not to lose the die hard Callebaut fans to the competition, the chocolate maker will, however, change its recipes. "We will also use Callebaut's recipes for Jacques' bars," Lejoli said. "So it could be that some Jacques bars will soon change flavour slightly."
The merger of the two brands will be announced to the general public with a remarkable stunt.
On Sunday, Jacques and Callebaut will "officially" marry at Koekelberg Basilica. Belle Perez, Urban Trad and Philippe Lafontaine are responsible for the musical entertainment.
The event is an idea of Mortierbrigade, Chocolate Jacques' advertising agency. "Jacques does not have the budgets to launch a huge media offensive," says Jens Mortier of Mortierbrigade. "We will create a radio campaign and posters, but the highlight will still be the wedding ceremony, a party to which everyone is invited."
That wedding ceremony is exactly the kind of campaign Mortierbrigade wants to be known for, says the advertising man. "We could also have made a classic merger campaign: a spot, some posters and done. But everyone has seen that kind of campaign now, people are tired of classic advertising. This is much more interesting and gives us more opportunities. For instance, we recorded a single. It's called The Chocoballad and we give a copy to everyone who comes to the wedding party. Couples who show up in wedding costume can also win a honeymoon to the Caribbean. All the fun things you can never bring with classic media," Mortier concludes.
20 years later, priests are showing their utter contempt for another Sacrament by celebrating with Snickers bars around their necks.
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