It's not a coincidence that companies with the most illustrious brands tend to be the best at rewarding shareholders. This is because with significant brand recognition comes pricing power, which pushes revenue, profits, and dividends higher over time.

(NYSE: HSY) and Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) are two consumer-oriented businesses that could continue to do well for shareholders in terms of dividend growth. Let's dig deeper to discover why.

For much of its corporate history, Hershey has been most known for its leading U.S. market share in the chocolate industry via brands like Milk Duds, Kit Kat, and Mounds. The company is focused on maintaining its leadership in the highly competitive chocolate category through new product launches. But years ago, Hershey began strengthening its better-for-you and salty snack product lineup to sustain its impressive growth. Acquisitions of Dot's Pretzels and Pretzels Inc. as well as SkinnyPop popcorn have cemented the company's status as the No. 2 player in the U.S. snacking category.

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Source Fool.com