A global brand approaching its 100th birthday has been dealt a promising hand by the COVID-19 pandemic. Godiva Chocolatier is staking out new distribution channels and sharpening its focus on CPG opportunities.
I recently asked Godiva Chocolatier CMO and innovation officer John Galloway what he’s been doing to help steer the brand forward.
Paul Talbot: Your brand dates back to 1926 when it was founded in Brussels. What does this 94 year brand heritage allow you to do to try and secure a sustainable competitive advantage?
John Galloway: The Draps family gave us an incredible legacy when they founded Godiva in Belgium nearly 95 years ago. In many ways they gave us the playbook for our future success.
We never forget where we’ve come from. Our heritage – along with nearly a century of experience, craftsmanship and artisanship – is one of the key drivers of that success. It’s a big part of how we’ve built our reputation for excellence and quality and what gives us the credibility to enter into new channels, like consumer-packaged goods (CPG) or our Godiva Cafés.
Talbot: As the supermarket shelf assumes greater importance, what sort of adjustments to Godiva’s marketing strategy have been made?
Galloway: Even before COVID-19, our consumer insights research told us that one of the single smartest things we could do as a brand is increase our distribution to include supermarkets and drugstores to make Godiva more accessible. So, we’ve been working hard to grow in the CPG space and have already seen a 19% year-over-year increase globally for this part of our business.
To differentiate ourselves in the chocolate aisle, we leverage our relentless innovation to ensure that we offer products that are meaningful, add value for our consumers and deliver the Godiva experience. Most recently, we launched two new products – Godiva signature minibars and chocolate domes.
To reach consumers and make them aware of Godiva’s availability in the chocolate aisle as well as these two new products, we are focusing our marketing strategy on the digital video space, key endemic premium publisher sites and social, where we are expanding into further platforms on Snapchat and Pinterest which offer their own unique ways to interact with our customers.
Last but not least, data is an enormous part of our outreach strategy which is primarily leveraged through programmatic. We’re continuously evolving how we leverage data and pinpoint customers at specific inflection points of their purchase journey.
Talbot: In the pre-COVID days, Godiva expressed an interest in dramatically ramping up the cafe business – by one published account to more than 2,000 outlets. Is this initiative still in the works?
Galloway: Yes, we’re still very confident in our plan to open 2,000 Godiva Cafés around the world. Godiva’s signature coffee and newly launched shakes are just two examples of what you can expect when you visit. Of course, COVID-19 has pushed our café expansion timeline out, but we’ve been using this pause as an opportunity to really focus on our digital strategy to support brick and mortar locations. We just launched the Godiva App, which allows consumers to choose curbside delivery and home delivery.
Talbot: The somewhat irreverent perception that COVID-19 pressures have prompted people to load up more than ever on treats at the supermarket… what does your data actually reveal about this?
Galloway: Well it is a scientific fact that Godiva chocolate makes you feel better. So I won’t argue this point and according to recent Nielsen data, ‘during the 17-week period that ended on June 27, U.S. consumers spent $3.7 billion on chocolate, up 6.3% from that time period last year,’ so yes, I would say that the pandemic has prompted people to turn to treats that comfort them.
Talbot: Reflecting on your adventures as director of sports marketing for PepsiCo and as CMO with Hard Rock International, what have you brought from these experiences to Godiva?
Galloway: Adventures is a good word for those days at PepsiCo. Above all what I learned during my time working there is empowered teams and agency partners deliver the most creative and breakthrough thinking.
I am privileged today to work alongside some of the smartest chocolatiers in the world. From our chocolatiers in-store, to in our plants, they are passionate about protecting and building on the Draps legacy – our best ideas and thinking come from them.
