Term Paper on "Marketing Plan Situation Analysis Godiva Chocolatier"

Term Paper 10 pages (2726 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Marketing Plan

Situation Analysis

Godiva Chocolatier is a brand owned by Campbell's Soup Company, and it contributes on average 6% of total revenues on a consistent year-to-year basis company-wide. Having a premium chocolate brand in the Campbell's brand portfolio causes several major problems for the company from a positioning standpoint. First, the need to position the brand as an essential part of a balanced and healthy diet makes Godiva Chocolatier irrelevant in the messaging platforms of the healthier, lean alternatives Campbell's is famous for creating. Second, the corporate Campbell's brand appears to go in two directions with chocolate known for its premium pricing, decadent imagery, and high calories. Using a "reward yourself" messaging and branding strategy in addition to amplifying chocolate's emotional connection to dating and courtship as a gift to a special someone, Campbell's has been successful in retaining sales of the brand. It is anticipated that through the use of the campaigns defined in this plan Campbell's will be successful with the overall positioning Godiva on the use of taste as a sensory differentiator. This is a critical step for Campbell's as the messaging and branding of the soups over the long-term will need to become even more focused on health and wellness, and premium chocolate will continually be out of place in this branding strategy. To alleviate this disconnect it's important to create sensory-based positioning using taste-able advertisements. Third, owning a premium chocolate brand dissipates needed resources from the most profitable brands the company has and as a result, Godiva is in need of great differentiation in its branding strategies. The challenge for Campbell's is to keep the healthy positioning of its umbrella brands of products strong while also adding in sensory-based positioning through the use of lickable advertisements to gain initial trial and potentially purchase of the their chocolates and other confectionary items.

The company has a series of strengths that give it a unique set of opportunities, yet Godiva Chocolatier also has weaknesses in brand and marketing mix that make it very susceptible to external and environmental threats. Most significant is the challenge of selling premium chocolates in the same brand family of products that are positioned as essential to losing weight and staying thin. The messaging of Godiva Chocolate as a reward for a job well done has only been mildly successful, yet Valentine's Day, anniversaries and special romantic occasions are by far more effective from a marketing and selling standpoint (Sudhaman, 2009). Strengths of Godiva Chocolatier include the ability to create effective integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategies, the inherent equity of the brand as representing decadent, high-end chocolate, which has been fine-tuned from the initial premium brand position that was more centered on snob-appeal and now is solidly defined as a sensuous experience of eating exceptional chocolate. Sensuality of the brand has been a strong orientation of Campbell's throughout the last five years, a branding position seen as a compromise within the company between its lean and healthy messaging on the majority of its other products, and the high quality branding of the chocolates on the other. As the proposed series of campaigns in this marketing plan are aimed at increasing trial and eventually growing loyalty to the brand, the use of lickable advertisements will be targeted at young women in the 20- to 35-year-old age range, the dominant segment for Godiva today. Godiva's weaknesses include the fact that baby boomers are increasingly health conscious and many are now on diets to preserve their health. These diets require drastic reductions in sugars and sweets of all kinds. This broader demographic trend of baby boomers and their concerns regarding health, specifically staying away from sugar and losing weight, is by far the biggest risk that Godiva has. The second major threat is that Campbell's will sell Godiva Chocolatier and seek to take the best-performing marketing talent and put them onto higher-performing brands. As of 2006, Godiva contributed 6% of total revenues and 6.5% of total profits, making its role in the strategic plans of Campbell's portfolio of companies insignificant relative to other, more popular and profitable brands. Third, there is the competitive threat from European chocolate manufacturers including Toblerone Chocolates from Switzerland and French chocolates sold throughout Europe. The competitive dynamics however in the U.S. favor mid-range chocolate that is seen as a snack, not an extravagance. Seen as expensive and initially elitist, Godiva has worked very hard to promote itself as a more sensual, romantic brand that is associated with special events and dates. This messaging has been the most successful strategy of all at distancing the brand from conflicts with Campbell's brands that espouse health, lean eating and no sugar. The use of lickable advertisements to introduce new flavors and launch new products needs to be the primary focus of the campaigns, followed by the development of programs that are more oriented to special dates and anniversaries with romantic significance.

II. Key strategic decisions

ADV/IMC Objectives and Strategies

The advertising and integrated marketing communications objectives and strategies for the campaigns defined here seek to capitalize on the unique aspects of lickable advertising.

These advertisements need to be supported with print, television, and online advertising as the advertisements themselves are as much of the news as the products that are being promoted by the lickable ads. These objectives look to move consumers through the purchasing process from trial through eventual purchase and ultimately product loyalty. At each stage of the consumer buying process there needs to be a concentrated approach using the entire IMC to create enough impetus to move consumers to the following step of the purchasing model. With these concepts in mind, the following advertising and integrated marketing communications objectives are defined:

To significantly increase first trial of flavors introduced in 2008, the initial wave of lickable advertisements will be placed in a series of women's magazines, supported with television and online advertising as well, with the goal of increasing trial of new 2008 flavors by 150% over the initial six months of the new flavors' launch.

To increase trial of existing flavors by 125% during the test period by including them on likable advertisements while couponing these ads for in-store promotions of the specific flavors.

To transition occasional shoppers to loyal customers through the use of likable ads sent to them in the mail, personalized for their individual previous tastes, and offering them a large discount on their favorite flavors of chocolate. Getting shoppers to transition from infrequent purchase to loyalty will be measured by the number of in-store promotions are received from walk-in customers they were mailed to as part of the promotion.

Target audience

Demographically, Godiva Chocolatier's most successful segment are young women in the 20- to 35-year-old age group who perceive the brand as a reward for working hard on a project at school or work, and also for special occasions. The company actively markets to males in this age group as well, stressing the romantic nature of specific dates and events, yet is not nearly as recalled in aided and unaided awareness tests with men as with women. Psychographic segments the company strives to get access to and their message clear for include high achievers, careers aspirants, and second city elite who today are frequent purchasers of Godiva chocolates. Of the 66 psychographic segments that comprise the U.S. population, these three are the most critical for the success of the lickable advertising strategies discussed in this paper.

Brand position

With the initial strategy being the launch of new flavors for 2008, the initial brand position is that of sensual experiences you can smell and taste, and the liable advertisements will play off this provocative theme. The brand position of being expensive is secondary to the hedonistic aspects of a well-earned reward and in the case of romantic days and weeks of the year, as a subtle aphrodisiac for the senses. This positioning will definitely get noticed and also can be made edgy yet fun at the same time. Women in the target audience will find this entertaining and interesting, while men most likely will view the brand position as a "must get" for their serious girlfriends, fiancees, and wives.

Brand image

Godiva must move as fast as possible away from the positioning of expensive and elitist and underscore the sensual aspects of new flavors, in addition to the positioning of the chocolates as a subtle and sophisticated aphrodisiac for significant others in a persons' life. The brand image must also be edgy and fun, with a hint of sensuality and even G-rated sexuality as well, something like a Victoria's Secret from Disney. The image can't be too aggressive or forward yet it has to be assertive, as many women in the dominant target segment (20- to 35-year-old age) are accustomed to being direct and confident. The brand must also match this specific aspect of their lives and their emotions. In the end, the brand image will be successful if it evokes a specific emotion from the… READ MORE

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