Brand ambassadors at each location passed out chocolate samples and Godiva coupons from gold baskets.
Supporting a retail strategy that increases the availability of the iconic Godiva chocolate everywhere, the chocolatier, which is celebrating its 95th anniversary, stood up larger-than-life installations of two of its iconic boxes in high-traffic locations in New York City. While the experiences were activated in time for Valentine’s Day, Godiva’s campaign messaging is encouraging consumers to treat themselves outside of just special occasions.
Leading up to the chocolate box activations, Godiva teased their geographic locations on social media. First, the brand’s iconic square gold chocolate box came to life in the form of a 20-foot by 24-foot photo op in Herald Square on Feb. 8, illuminated by LED lighting and staffed with brand ambassadors who handed out complimentary chocolate. The next day, Feb. 9, the brand unveiled a 20-foot by 14-foot Godiva heart chocolate box installation in Flatiron Plaza, which was significant because while the box has been available to consumers for a few years now it is becoming more wildly available in major retailers from Target to Costco.
“Godiva is so special, and we’re seeing consumers, especially post-pandemic, really living for today and seizing the moment and treating themselves to something premium,” says Angela Fotopoulos, global head of brand communications at Godiva Chocolatier.
Other Sweet Sampling Strategies:
- Valentine’s Day Experiential: How Six Brands Celebrated the Holiday
- Sweets and the City: Godiva Deploys a Retro Pink Truck to ‘Deliver Happiness’ to New Yorkers
- Mars Pampers New Yorkers With Candy-Infused Salon Services at its Sweet ReTREAT
Supporting the strategy behind the chocolate box activations is sales data, which shows consumption of chocolate is up. In the U.S., for example, Godiva’s market share and sales distribution grew, and consumption increased by 31 percent, year over year. The brand has shipped 35 percent more cases of chocolate than last year, and anticipates a 20-percent increase in sales in 2022 versus 2021. And as far as Valentine’s Day, a Godiva Consumer Research Study found that 75 percent of consumers plan to give chocolate and receive chocolate (68 percent), and nearly half of consumers (29 percent), reported they plan to gift more chocolate this year than last year.
“Our strategy has pivoted to embrace consumer behavior, and our focus is on engaging consumers in that chocolate aisle of the retailers where they shop every day, but to also create a digital destination online offering lifestyle content so they can engage with us more on a daily basis, like downloading recipes and viewing tablescape inspiration,” Fotopoulos says.
Godiva’s 95th anniversary campaign will continue to play out this year with experiences and “celebratory moments.” In the meantime, Godiva certainly sweetened the week for New Yorkers, distributing more than 10,000 chocolates over the two days. Agencies: Department of Wonder (experiential); Lippe Taylor (social, digital, p.r.).
