New Twist on Ingredient Marketing

This month's Entrepreneur mag has a full-page ad about Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip franchise opportunities.

The ad sends readers to the Nestlecafe.com site, where I learned that "The concept was conceived in 1998 and takes advantage of the fact that people love to reward themselves with items they feel have a distinct quality and freshness." The cafes feature Nescafe coffee, cookies with Nestle ingredients, and Dreyer's ice cream--all well-established Nestle brands. The franchisor, Crest Foods, has awarded 100+ franchises and recently opened its own cafe in California.

The Nestle choco chip is often discussed in marketing texts as an example of "ingredient marketing" because it's incorporated into a finished product. This franchising concept puts an entirely new twist on that idea, with the spotlight on multiple Nestle brands that have earned reputations for quality and flavor.