Fazer Blue chocolate is one of the best-known brands in Finland.
First created in 1922, it is still perceived as one of the most esteemed
and popular Finnish brands. This milk chocolate bar with its elegant dark
blue wrapping has captured the hearts and minds of the Finns.
This paper studies the current image of Fazer Blue. What makes Fazer
Blue so popular? Why is it perceived to be one of the most 'Finnish'
brands of all time? Can it be called a Finnish icon?
Karl Fazer, the man and the company behind the chocolate
The company making Fazer Blue, Karl Fazer1, has a history dating back to
the 19th century. It was founded by the confectioner Karl Fazer, whose
signature decorates the famous blue wrapping. Karl's own roots were in
Switzerland, the birthplace of milk chocolate itself (Tanttu 17). His
Swiss-born father, the furrier named Eduard Fazer, moved to Finland in
1844. Karl Fazer was born in Helsinki in 1866, and he was the youngest of
Eduard's sons (Hoving 12-13, 20).
Young Karl Fazer.
Source: Donner 98
|
Eduard didn't like the idea of his son becoming a confectioner, but
Karl decided to pursue this career despite his father's objections. In
1884 he travelled to St. Petersburg to train as an apprentice under
Russian master confectioners. Upon finishing his apprenticeship, he didn't
return home straight away, but spent a few more years in Europe receiving
extra training in Berlin and Paris. In 1891 he returned to Helsinki, and
in September of the same year opened his own French-Russian-style
café-patisserie, which was an immediate success (Hoving 20-21, 26).
In 1894 Fazer started making chocolates2 and chocolate bars. He noticed
quickly that the space in the cafe was not enough for this kind of
production, so he rented two buildings from another part of the town. The
manufacturing of chocolate was moved to these premises. This marked the
birth of industrial confectionery manufacturing in Finland (Hoving 30).
The business was still small, but this would soon change.
The end of the 19th century marked an important turn for the company.
Fazer was still having to compete against imported chocolates and sweets
from Russia, which were exempt from import duty and thus had a significant
advantage in the market. However, in 1897 the tariffs were standardised
and import duty had to be paid on Russian products too (Hoffman). After
this, the import of Russian sweets collapsed to a fraction of the previous
years. Karl Fazer saw this chance for growth, but for it to be possible
the supply needed to meet the demand. He immediately took action to
increase the production (Hoving 33, 35-36). Soon the two rented buildings
were not enough for the increased volume of production, and subsequently
Fazer bought the buildings next to them. This factory continued to expand
this way, building by building. By 1918 the factory covered the entire
block (Hoving 40) and manufactured a variety of different confectionery
items.
Young Sven Fazer.
Source: Donner 103
|
Fazer also started to expand his business beyond sweets and chocolates.
In 1898 he started to make marmelade. In 1924 Fazer started to manufacture
biscuits, but the space in the Helsinki factory only allowed for limited
production. In 1927 Fazer bought the Suomalais-Englantilainen
Biscuittehdas [Finnish-English Biscuit Factory], which was situated in
Hanko, 128 kilometres west from Helsinki. In 1945 it was renamed Hangon
Keksi [Hanko's Biscuit], a name that has lasted to this day (Hoving
40, 54, 60). The purchase allowed for greater production volumes, and the
factory in Helsinki was free to focus on sweets and chocolates. It would
also set a direction for the company's future expansion.
Karl Fazer himself died in 1932, but his son Sven Fazer had taken over
as the head of the company before that. Sven continued his father's
tradition of of producing high-quality products and focused on marketing
and expanding the company. In 1958 Fazer ventured into the bread business
by buying a bakery company called Oululainen (Donner 65). In 1976
the company made another seizure of territory by creating the subsidiary
company Fazer Catering, which was later strengthened by buying out
other Finnish catering companies. Now that company is known as Fazer
Amica, and it is one of the major catering companies in Finland. It
has around 900 restaurants in Finland, and it employs 4,100 people (Fazer
Amica).
In 1965 Sven's son and Karl Fazer's grandson, Peter Fazer, took over
the company. Peter started a period of rapid internationalization by
buying out and establishing subsidiary companies in the Nordic and Baltic
countries (Komsi 55). Yet even amidst all the internationalization and
expansions, the company has remained a family business. Fazers still own
the majority in Fazer Group, even though they are farther removed
from the day-to-day workings of the company than the previous generations.
Very few members of the family are in operative positions in the company
anymore, but they hold a strategic advantage through the family council,
which was established to keep the company dynamic and increase loyalty to
it (Donner 79-81).
In 2000 Fazer decided to merge with its long-time cooperation
partner Cloetta, a similar confectionery company in Sweden, thus
forming Cloetta Fazer. This benefited both companies, which could
combine their production and distribution and gain a stronger position in
the Nordic market. However, despite the benefits reaped from this
cooperation, the companies had disagreements and finally announced a split
in July 2008 . This was due to the differences between the owner families.
The Swedish Svenfelts, who owned the majority in the former
Cloetta, were more interested in securing their money, while the
Fazer side wanted to use their combined assets to expand into new markets
(Fazerin Sininen taas). It remains to be seen what direction Fazer
will take after the split from Cloetta is complete. At the time of
this writing (December 2008) the split is still going on, so the full
effects of this on Fazer and its image, if any, are unknown.
However, it seems that Finns are happy about getting their Fazer Blue
back, while in Sweden the split hasn't stirred any nationalistic feelings
(Myllyoja).
Fazer Blue, the flagship of Fazer
Even though Karl Fazer's signature is very prominently displayed on the
wrapping of Fazer Blue, it was actually his son, Sven Fazer, who must be
credited for the creation of this chocolate. Sven Fazer knew an Englishman
named Shaller, whose son-in-law was suffering from an eye disease. Sven
knew a doctor among his own relatives and introduced the two. The doctor
was able to cure the disease and didn't take any payment for this. As a a
sign of gratitude, Shaller gave Sven a special milk chocolate recipe he
had received from a Swiss master confectioner. That recipe was the
foundation for Fazer Blue (Donner 43).
That recipe has remained essentially unchanged since 1922. Fazer Blue
is made with the best ingredients: fresh Finnish milk and the finest cocoa
beans. In fact, Fazer Blue is the only milk chocolate produced in the
Nordic countries that is still made from real milk instead of milk powder.
The chocolate is produced in Finland at the Vantaa plant near Helsinki. It
is also sold in Finland, Sweden, Poland, Russia and the Baltic countries,
although through tax-free trade it is also sold in many countries in
addition to the ones listed here (About).
Following the success of Fazer Blue, the company has expanded the
brand. It has introduced dark chocolate, caramel, hazelnut and a
variety of other chocolate flavours. New combinations are constantly
being tried, with a new flavour hitting the shelves almost every year. The
current trend is to combine Fazer Blue with well-known Finnish sweets such
as Omar, a creamy fudge-type sweet, and Marianne, a sweet with a
mint-flavoured crust covering a soft chocolate filling. All of these
different flavours go under the umbrella brand of Karl Fazer. Utilizing
Fazer Blue's success, Fazer has kept the wrapping almost identical
to the original except for the lower right-hand corner, which is
designated a different colour depending on the specific flavour.
With this strong umbrella brand Fazer dominates the Finnish
chocolate market. The brand's total market share is 65 percent, counting
all the different flavoured or sized chocolate bars sold under the Karl
Fazer brand. Fazer Blue is still the flagship of the company, with every
fourth chocolate bar sold in Finland being Fazer Blue (About).
The image of Fazer Blue
Karl Fazer understood the importance of image and marketing. The names
and the appearances of the products were an important part of building the
right image. He believed that high-quality products could create lasting
buying habits and create expanding markets. He stressed the importance of
maintaining this high quality, and he often supervised and participated in
the production process. In the eyes of the public, Karl Fazer's Swiss
origins were also seen as a guarantee of quality (Tanttu 25-27).
Very few remember Karl's Swiss roots anymore, but quality is still an
important part of Fazer Blue's image. According to Fazer's press
release it is one of the three characteristics associated with Fazer Blue
along with traditionality and dependability (Fazerin Sininen kuluttajien).
Making high-quality yet affordable products was Karl Fazer's principle
right from the beginning. Fazer Blue exemplifies this perfectly, with an
image of an elegant but not an elitist product. It has no particular
association with any class, age or social group, so it is the whole
nation's chocolate.
In the 21st century Fazer Blue is one of the best-known brands in
Finland. In the last eight years (2001-2008) it has always been in the top
four of a brand study run annually by Markkinointi & Mainonta
[Marketing & Advertising] magazine. This study comprises about 1,000
different Finnish as well as international brands, which are evaluated by
the public in terms of esteem. Fazer and Fazer Blue are both
regulars in the top ten. In four out of the last eight years, Fazer Blue
has been number one, usually only topped by its mother brand Fazer
itself. So powerful is the Fazer Blue brand that the year in which
Fazer received its lowest place, at number ten, was also the only
year when Fazer Blue was not listed as a separate brand (Metsämäki
2001-2008). This shows that the Fazer Blue image is intrinsically linked
with the image of the whole company.
It is worth noting that the top 100 was usually dominated by Finnish
brands. The 1,000 or so brands were preselected for this study beforehand
from a larger group of both international and Finnish brands, but from the
final top 100 selected by the public in the actual study, over 50 percent
were Finnish. Coca-cola and many other big international brands are
usually found outside the top 100, sometimes even the top 200 (Metsämäki
2001-2008).
The special affection for Finnish brands is evident from the results.
Finnish consumers like to buy Finnish products because they represent
know-how, progress, quality and safety and they are most suited to the
Finnish way of life (Halonen 181). Another reason could be the phenomenon
of 'suosi suomalaista', which translates as 'prefer Finnish'. This is an
idea that Finns should buy Finnish products, with the reasoning that it
benefits Finnish economy and that Finnish products are cleaner, safer and
of higher quality than foreign products. There are separate labels that
tell that the product or service is Finnish, the most famous of these
being Avainlippu [the Key Flag], which is maintained and supervised
by the Association for Finnish Work. Fazer Blue does not have any of these
labels, perhaps due to the cocoa beans, which have to be imported, but
Finns still see Fazer Blue as a Finnish product.
Fazer Blue is well-known and esteemed, but it has also connected with
the Finnish people on a deeper, emotional level. In 2003, in an open poll
aimed at the readership of Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest
broadsheet newspaper in Finland, Fazer Blue was voted the fourth
most-loved Finnish product right after rye bread, sauna and salty
liquorice3. Even
though the poll was asking for a favourite product, many people gave
answers that didn't fit that category, all the way from institutions to
abstractions. Fazer Blue was the first actual product brand to be featured
on that list; the only other brand in the top ten was Nokia at number six
(Sinisalo D2).
Fazer Blue is even described as 'a part of the Finnish cultural
heritage' (Lahtinen 11). What can explain its huge success among the
Finns? Image and branding play a major part in it and will be discussed
later in this paper, but one should first clarify the special meaning of
the colour blue to Finns.
The colour blue and its meaning to Finns
At the turn of the 20th century the style of the wrappings tended
to be very colourful and decorative.
Source: Tanttu 20
|
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries chocolate bar wrappings were
usually very bright, colourful and exotic. The buyers expected to see this
'eye candy' on the wrappers (Tanttu 20-21). So how did the simple and
elegant blue wrapping of Fazer Blue come about?
The colour blue has different connotations in Finland than in
English-speaking countries. It has nothing to do with pornography, as for
example in 'blue movies'; or swearing, as in 'swear until the air is blue'
or 'turn the air blue'. In Finland blue evokes feelings of peace, quiet
and national pride. Finns are proud of their independence and their
nature, both of which are symbolised by the colour blue. The blue cross on
the white background in Finland's flag, the clear blue skies on a sunny
summer's day and the many blue lakes are all part of the associated
meanings when talking about the colour blue in the Finnish context.
The blue colour was an important symbol for Karl Fazer, reflecting
Finland's many lakes and the country's independence (Karl). Nature was
important for Karl, and he could have very well drawn the inspiration to
use the blue colour from there. Viktor Hoving writes that at the time when
Karl Fazer was choosing his career, he was tempted to become a forester.
In his youth his favourite pastime was to walk in the woods; this love for
nature stayed with him all through his life (20). As an avid hunter and
nature enthusiast, Karl Fazer would have often seen the blue of the forest
lakes and the sea.
Jörn Donner, the author of the book Fazer 100 and a well-known
Finnish writer, director and politician, speculates that the colour choice
was also partly due to the country's political atmosphere. Blue was the
one of the national colours even before the time of independence and its
symbol, the blue-white flag. Karl Fazer had objected to the
Russification4 that had
been taking place in Finland in the last two decades before the country
gained its independence. In 1901 it had been forbidden to use Finnish
stamps because the Finnish mail service had been abolished and replaced by
the Russian system. As an act of defiance, Fazer decided to print these
stamps on the candy wrappers along with pictures of important Finnish men
(43).
One of the entries in the photograph competition titled Sininen
Hetki. Photo by Inkeri Niskanen.
Source: Sininen hetki website
|
Besides the national and political associations, another Finnish
concept tied to the colour blue is sininen hetki, a 'blue moment'.
A blue moment is defined as the specific time, usually near dawn or dusk,
when the whole landscape is tinted with blue. This phenomenon can often be
witnessed in Finland during winter, when the white snow helps to reflect
the blue light. In a less literal sense, it can also mean a moment of
peace and tranquility.
Fazer has used this connection in its advertising, too. One of
their Fazer Blue campaign slogans is that the chocolate is especially
suited 'for little blue moments'. This cleverly ties together the name of
the product and the idea of tranquility. The slogan implies that the
consumer will have a little moment of peace and relaxation by eating the
chocolate. In 2007 Fazer even held a competition calling for photographs
that best capture the feeling of the 'blue moment'. The best nine pictures
were printed on special edition wrappings of Fazer Blue (Sininen Hetki).
The blue on the Fazer Blue wrapping is no ordinary blue. Fazer
was the first company in Finland to patent a colour. The trademark blue
was patented on 30 April 2001, meaning that only Fazer is allowed
to sell or advertise products with that specific hue of blue (About). The
colour has been intrinsically linked with the product and its brand, which
is very useful in advertising. As the company's website notes: 'Indeed,
the colour is a symbol of the product and the word blue does not even need
to be mentioned'. The best proof of the power of the brand must be that
the word blue is and has always been absent from the wrapping. The colour
itself is such a big part of the brand that it has given rise to its own
name; even though the wrapping has been modernised every now and then,
the colour has remained.
The power of a strong brand
Fazer was also one of the early pioneers in the area of advertising. When
Karl Fazer opened his café, he put ads in the local newspaper even before
the café was opened. The café's window also served as a permanent
advertisement, with the window being used to stage beautiful displays,
which were often the talk of the town (Tanttu 27). Fazer used a variety of
different advertising tactics, such as printing contemporary or
nationalistic pictures in the wrappings, sponsoring athletes, using
celebrity endorsements and getting the exclusive right to use the Olympic
logo. In later decades, the company was also very quick to adopt
television and film as advertising mediums. It was the first company to
commission a short colour film for their advertisement at a time when
colour film was still very new in Finland (Donner 44).
Fazer Blue's advertising has changed since then. The following three
billboard advertisements have been taken from 21st century ad campaigns to
demonstrate how well-known the brand is nowadays and how the marketing of
the brand has benefited from this.
The first advertisement is called Ajattele suklaata [Think of
chocolate]. It is a simplistic yet very powerful ad. It only has the words
'Think of chocolate' in gold against a background of blue velvet which is
arranged in beautiful curves and coils. Here the power of the Fazer Blue
brand really shows. The ad features neither the name of the product nor
product itself, but to a Finn the message is clear instantaneously. The
chocolate that the viewer will think of will be Fazer Blue, thanks to the
powerful connection with the trademark blue colour.
The second advertisement is called simply Sininen [Blue]. It
features the Fazer Blue chocolate without its wrapping with the word
'blue' in white letters in the foreground. This could be the opposite of
the previous ad when it comes to the use of colour, but nevertheless it
drives the message home just as well. How does a Finn know what chocolate
is being shown? In addition to the word blue, one can tell the brand from
the chocolate itself. From the picture you can see that each piece of
chocolate is engraved with Fazer's name. This is not done just for
advertisement purposes; it is the picture of the actual product. However,
this picture only shows six rows of four pieces, whereas the actual
product has eight rows.
The third and last advertisement is called Sen näkee kun sitä on
saatava [One can tell when you have to get it]. This is also one of
the slogans for Fazer Blue. The slogan implies that the yearning for Fazer
Blue can manifest in very visible ways. The advertisement shows a row of
colour pencils, of which the blue one has been used considerably more than
the others. In the foreground there is a blue stripe featuring the slogan
running horizontally through the lower part of the ad. Again the use of
the colour negates the need to mention the name 'Fazer Blue' or show the
product.
The simplicity of these ads proves the strength of the brand. They do
not 'advertise' so much as just remind the viewer of the product. The
brand is so strong it does not need to sell itself aggressively. Time is a
definite factor in Fazer Blue's strength. It been around almost 90 years,
so it has had time to become familiar to Finns and thus create a loyal
customer base. The brand loyalty is often transferred from parents to
their children. In a press release in September 2006, Cloetta
Fazer's CEO Jasper Åberg stated that Finns get their of liking for
Fazer Blue when they are children. The nostalgia, eating habits and
positive images stay with people all the way to adulthood
(Fazerin Sininen kuluttajien...). Carita Koivunen, Cloetta Fazer's
brand coordinator, places the reason for Fazer's success partly on
the strong brands that have been built up through the decades (in Palminen
95). Undoubtedly, Fazer Blue is one of these strong brands, perhaps even
the strongest.
Even though Fazer has successfully branched out to the catering
and bakery businesses, most people still associate Fazer with
chocolate. To account for this, Jörn Donner argues that bread is not a
luxury item, so it does not conjure as strong an emotional response as
chocolate. Also, most of the bread is sold under different brands and
company names, so the connection would be hard to make (21). Fazer
is most prominently displayed through the confectionery side of its
business. The Karl Fazer brand is the easiest link to make because the
company and the umbrella brand share the same name. The company is aware
of this and takes advantage of it in its marketing. Martti Laaksonen, the
president of the board of the advertising company SEK & GREY,
points out that there is a strong link between the company and Fazer Blue,
and through this one product Fazer communicates what it aspires to
be as a company: high-quality, traditional and Finnish (in Palminen 103,
119).
Fazer Blue chocolate as a Finnish institution
As demonstrated by its success in brand studies year after year, Fazer
Blue is truly a highly-esteemed brand in Finland. Its trademark colour is
instantly recognized by Finns. It has formed an emotional bond with the
Finnish people that goes beyond normal branding. Through decades of good
marketing, combined with its high quality, Fazer Blue has become a real
Finnish icon.
It is very likely that Fazer Blue will continue strong in the future
too. The brand does not need to be reinvented or aggressively marketed but
just maintained. The long history and the high quality speak for
themselves. Finnish children learn from an early age to appreciate Fazer
Blue. When they have grown up, they pass this tradition on to their own
children. Fazer Blue will not be easily dislodged from its position as the
nation's number one chocolate. It can truly be considered a Finnish
institution in its own right.
Notes
- To denote the difference between Karl Fazer, the person,
and Karl Fazer, the company, I will use italics for the company. I
will also discuss Karl Fazer as a brand, but when I do so, I'll
specifically mention the word 'brand'. (back)
- In this paper I will use the term 'chocolates' to describe
chocolate confectionaries. The term 'sweets' in this context means a
specifically 'candy' type of confectionery, excluding pastries, ice cream
and the like. (back)
- Salty liquorice or salmiakki is a type of liquorice
made from ammonium chloride. As the name implies, it tastes very salty. It
is popular in the Nordic and Benelux countries as well as in northern
Germany (Sinisalo D3). In this context, it is also important to note that
it is part of the 'Finnish trinity': sauna, rye bread and salty liquorice.
In addition to being seen as typically Finnish things, they are also
understood to be the main three things that Finns miss while abroad. The
fact that Fazer Blue came fourth right after them can be taken as a proof
of its popularity. (back)
- In this context Russification refers to the actions taken
by the Russian empire to limit Finland's autonomy, but Russification also
took place in other countries. From 1809 Finland had been Grand Duchy of
the Russian empire, and had been granted special rights such as its own
legislative branch. These rights were severely limited during 1899-1905
and 1908-1917, with these years being referrred to in Finland as "the
years of oppression". (back)
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-
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