American retailer Whole Foods has teamed up with quirky chocolate manufacturer Bloomsberry & Co and TerraPass to introduce a new eco-friendly chocolate bar, in what has to be the best excuse yet to eat more chocolate.

Each ‘Climate Change Chocolate’ bar comes with a TerraPass offset of 133 pounds of carbon dioxide reductions, the average American’s daily carbon impact. The bar’s packaging includes helpful hints on ways to lighten your environmental impact, while its production and distribution are carbon neutral.

TerraPass itself was set up in 2004 as a for-profit social enterprise to allow individuals and businesses to take responsibility for their carbon emissions. As its core business, the company sells annual ‘passes’ calculated to offset emissions for companies, households and even student residences. Individuals can also buy carbon offsetting certificates as gifts, or purchase a TerraPass to offset the environmental impact of weddings and other events.

The collaboration between Whole Foods,  Bloomsberry and TerraPass is a great example of a clever and mutually beneficial brand partnership . Whole Foods gets to support its positioning as an environmental leader in retail, Bloomsberry gains a new distribution channel for its premium chocolate, and TerraPass has an opportunity to introduce carbon offsetting to new consumers, who will hopefully then upgrade to its annual products.

As a new product concept, it’s a lovely idea. It’s easy to imagine consumers choosing Climate Change Chocolate as a gift, and what chocolate lover could resist the idea of doing some good with their daily munch? There’s only one better product that I can imagine – a chocolate bar that gives you a way to offset the calories. Now that’s one I’ll be looking out for…

“Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine” (David Ogilvy)

“Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity” (St. Augustine)

“If a small group of consumers have built a ritual around your brand, then it may have merit to become a movement” (Anon)

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit” (Aristotle)

“If you need to shake up your creativity, you first need to shake up your routine” (Anon)

New research from YouGov has found that 55% of 18-24 year olds are now watching television online, compared to just 12% of over-55s. The online research provider’s ‘Media Migration’ study also found that of those already watching TV online, 54% are watching more than they did last year.

The study’s results will come as confirmation rather than shock to those watching the broadcasting industry. The continuing success of BBC’s iPlayer has seen other broadcasters race to replicate its offer, with the likes of Channel 4 and Five introducing on-demand services. MTV’s UK site has full episodes of some of its latest shows, and others available to download on YouTube.

BBC iPlayer goes from strength to strength

So what are the implications for marketers? Those involved in broadcasting will no doubt be knee-deep in research studies, war gaming and strategic visioning as they battle to predict the extent to which the advent of online TV will bring about a long-term shift in viewer habits. Meanwhile, the likes of Saga can rest secure in the knowledge that they’ll have a few more years before Saga On-Demand becomes a business prerequisite.

For those outside the industry - particularly those targeting the all-important ‘youf’ audiences –  the question becomes one of budget allocation. With more than half of young people apparently now choosing to watch TV online, how long can the traditional television advertising model remain preeminent?

For what it’s worth, our feeling here at The Value Engineers is that online TV won’t signal the death of watching ‘on the box’ anytime soon. Instead, I’d predict that we will see a gradual merging of technologies and viewing occasions, as television meets radio meets internet meets on-demand viewing. Expect to see manufacturers introducing easy-use, multi-function sets that will extend the reach of the ‘home media center’ beyond its current audience of early adopters, technological savants and value-conscious high earners.

In the meantime, I’m off to get some quality viewing time in on YouTube…