The adverts that helped Black Magic chocolates bring luxury to the masses ~ for just 14p a box

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

The first thought of many a man eager to bring a smile to the face of the woman in his life would be to present her with a box of chocolates.
But in 1933 chocolate assortments were the preserve of the rich - sold encased in elaborate hand-carved boxes and costing the equivalent of up to £300 in today's money.
That is until Rowntree's launched its now iconic Black Magic brand, bringing all the luxury and indulgence of a box of chocolates to the masses for a mere 14p in old currency - and saving the ailing confectioner in the process.

Bringing chocolate boxes to the masses: Rowntree's advertising campaign for its Black Magic chocolates - including this 1934 poster - featured young society ladies

Launched in 1933 as Rowntree's was on the brink of bankruptcy, these archive posters - released to mark Black Magic's 80th anniversary - reveal the groundbreaking advertising campaign employed by the firm as it gambled its future on the budget box of chocolates.

 

The adverts featured glamorous ladies and excerpts from their effusive thank you letters written to the sender of the gift, then priced at two shillings and ten pence per lb - around £5 in modern money.
Those thank you letters, which continued to feature in Black Magic adverts for decades to come, became almost as iconic a part of the brand as the simple, no-frills black box.

Black Magic: The groundbreaking advertising campaign pitched the affordable box of chocolates as the idea token from a father to his daughter

1935 advert: It was the first time Rowntree's had every carried out market research on a product - surveying thousands of people for their views on the assortment

'Universal appeal': The iconic Black Magic box is familiar even in this advertisement, created more than 70 years ago in 1937

Production: This photograph shows women in a Rowntree's factory putting together boxes of Black Magic chocolates in 1950

'Rapturous': Letters from recipients of Black Magic boxes in which they extoll the virtues of the chocolate assortment became a key part of its famous branding

The hit brand was the brainchild of marketing man George Harris, who began working for Rowntree's after marrying into the family.

THE SECRET OF THE BLACK MAGIC BOX: HOW THE ASSORTMENT HAS CHANGED FROM 1933 TO 2013

Lucky recipients of box of Black Magic in the 1930s could take their pick from orange fondant, hazelnut cluster, montelimar, or cherry cup - not forgetting classic dark chocolates with marzipan, strawberry or caramel fillings.
Fast-forward to 2013, and the orange fondant and caramel treats remain, alongside 'reinvented classics' like almond crunch - finely chopped almonds and truffle encased in dark chocolate - dreamy fudge, and a whole hazelnut praline in a dark chocolate shell.

He spearheaded the first ever market research carried out by the confectioner, interviewing 9,500 people before deciding which flavours should be included in the dark chocolate assortment.
Only then did the manufacturer settle on the popular combination incorporating orange fondant, hazelnut cluster, and marzipan, caramel and strawberry fillings.
Alex Hutchinson, archive curator at Nestle, which took over Rowntree's in 1988, said: 'The Rowntree's business had been through shaky times before Black Magic was invented.
'In 1921 the business made a 33 per cent loss and in the late 1920s it was still struggling and they had to lay a lot of people off.
'In 1931 Rowntree's was worried they wouldn’t be able to pay out any dividends to their shareholders.
'George Harris married into the family and started working for Rowntree's and he came up with the idea that their chocolates should have their own strong brands like America.
'People were suspicious of the idea but created Black Magic, which was quite a gamble as it could have been their last chocolate.

Seasons greetings: An advert for a festive Black Magic gift box from Christmas 1977

'Before then, whatever went into a box of chocolates was decided on by the directors of the business. It was the first time they had actually done market research.
'Up until this point most boxes of chocolates were incredibly expensive and were the kind of thing used when making a marriage proposal,' Mr Hutchinson explained.

Romance: The iconic letter features in this Black Magic advert from the 1980s, half a century after the brand was first launched

Who knows the secret? By the 1980s Black Magic were a popular and affordable gift, but prior to their launch in the 1930s boxes of chocolates were extremely expensive

'They would come in hand carved boxes that could cost around 100 shillings each, which was an awful lot considering a week’s rent in slums was 10 shillings,' he added.
'Initially they couldn’t afford to spend a lot on advertising Black Magic so the sales people sold the boxes to hotels in London before taking them to shops.
'Shopkeepers bought them up quickly when they were told this because they thought they were getting a posh product, the money was then spent on advertising.'
'In the adverts there are young society ladies confiding in one another in letters about receiving Black Magic.
'It was to encourage people to see that buying a box of chocolates was okay to do as part of an early courtship,' said Mr Hutchinson, adding that, before then, the expense of a box of chocolates meant such a gift was reserved for as rare an occasion as a marriage proposal.
'After the success of Black Magic, George Harris made other iconic brands such as Kit Kat, Aero, Smarties, Polo, and Dairy Box and the company was able to expand.'