This Easter, Aussies will take advantage of four days of freedom by spending an estimated $3 billion on chocolate, seafood and booze. So how have brands taken advantage of this chocolate induced spending spree?

Chocolate

Chocolate and Easter go hand in hand. According to IBIS world, Australians spent 191.4 million on delicious chocolatey goodness last Easter. This year chocolate companies have upped their game to get their chocolatey treats out to all Australians. Cadbury recently cracked open a giant Easter egg in Sydney, Lindt Australia held a competition to find their Gold bunny and Haigh’s Chocolate is promoting their Australia Easter Bilby chocolate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GigwqUCoap8

Are you as excited for Easter as this girl is? #LINDT #Easter http://t.co/n7JPQiBAxv

— Lindt Chocolate (@Lindt) March 29, 2015

With a bilby in hand!! Great yarn on one of Australia's oldest chocolate factories http://t.co/ZcYbU5HAuV #Easter pic.twitter.com/g1VX24oj4X

— Matt Brann (@MattBrannRURAL) April 1, 2015

Also in Japan, Kit Kat has launched a limited edition “Apple Pie and Carrot” flavour. A delicious holiday treat of apple pie mixed with carrots- hopefully it reaches our shores.

Alcohol

Over last year’s Easter weekend, Aussies drank an estimated $139.5 million on booze and $65.7 million on drinking/eating at pubs and bars. But alcohol advertisers aren’t allowed to include the name of or depiction of the Easter Bunny because it might encourage kiddies to drink.

Which chocolate easter egg would you choose? http://t.co/REQA5cEMIu #murrays #noboringbeer pic.twitter.com/vaOKqEDcWl

— Murrays World HQ (@murraysbrewing) March 20, 2015

ACTIVISM

While everyone is shovelling chocolate down their gullet,  global activist group Stop The Traffik (STT) is raising awareness around the human trafficking involved in the cocoa bean industry. STT, is putting pressure on Australian supermarket chains to start stocking more Fairtrade-certified chocolate. According to STT, “supermarkets are important stakeholders within the chocolate industry. We believe they can use their influence to help end child trafficking in chocolate by increasing the demand for certified chocolate products”.

CARS

When you think about the Easter long weekend, the words ‘Mercedes Benz’ might not be the first thing that come to mind. But in 2013, the car company embraced the Easter feeling by direct mailing camouflaged chocolate eggs to American soldiers who were test driving their latest G-class model. USA USA USA!

TELEVISION

Fangirls everywhere rejoice! UKTV has turned British actors like Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant and Damian Lewis into delicious life size chocolate treats. Each man-shrine weighs around 40 kilograms and took 500 bars of solid Belgian milk chocolate to make.