Ethos Chocolate

Countering a heated debate about GMO foods with love and chocolate

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The emotional debate around genetically modified foods has proliferated widespread misperceptions around GMOs, leading consumers to seek out non-GMO foods. But GMO farming might just be a way to save some of the world’s most beloved foods – including chocolate.

The challenge

Widespread misinformation has led people to seek out non-GMO products, which have seen a 50% sales increase over the past five years. Perpetuating this stereotype are visuals of GMOs being “manufactured” in labs.

GMO opponents have dominated the biotech conversation for two decades, forcing farmers to play defense and fend off sensational accusations that GMOs are unsafe – even though their safety is settled science.

The solution

Using precision targeting through market testing, we proved that we could change opinions of GMOs among a key segment of moms – but we wanted to earn more attention and persuade the broader public to take a fresh look at GMOs.

By telling the GMO sustainability story through chocolate — something consumers love and enjoy — we challenged them to think about GMOs in a new way – one delicious bite at a time.

We launched on February 5, 2019 – ahead of Valentine’s Day. To get the word out, we organized a giveaway on the Ethos website, allowing our target millennials, moms and chocolate-lovers alike to send an Ethos Chocolate valentine to loved ones – for free! The limited-edition boxes of chocolate helped spread GMO facts, demystifying the science and making GMOs less scary and more sweet.

The impact

The campaign achieved more than 393 million impressions in 1 month.
Over the course of the nine-day activation, we generated more than 6.5 million online impressions, with no paid media to support the promotion effort.

With an earned-first, content-driven approach, we “sold out” of our free Ethos gift boxes, at times averaging an order every 30 seconds.