Godiva, the high-end chocolatier, has had a good thing going with its "Chocolates & Diamonds" Valentine's Day promotion since 1997. The campaign scored over 150 million
media impressions in its first year, while also drawing strong consumer participation in terms of Godiva sales.
There's no denying that giving away diamonds is a winning concept for any company's publicity efforts. But the campaign is not without challenges for Patrice Tanaka & Co.
(PT&Co.), which is forced to come up with a fresh hook each year, both for media and consumers.
"A promotion [like this] for a luxury brand is a tricky thing," says Nancy Rosenblum, VP at PT&Co. "You typically think of sweepstakes as [being associated with] mass
brands, not luxury brands."
High-End Approach
The give-away started out with a simple concept: winners who purchased special Valentine's packages of Godiva chocolates had a chance of winning a diamond ring. In the second
year, it was a natural to up the ante, which the team accomplished by buying a necklace at Sotheby's Jacqueline Kennedy estate auction and offering the bauble as the grand
prize.
In 1999, the new hook was a better chance of winning: Godiva offered 100 pairs of diamond solitaire earrings as first prizes in addition to the grand prize. In order to
reinforce the glamorous theme and create greater buzz, the team cut a deal with Golden Globe Award nominee Susan Sarandon to wear the grand prize to the award ceremony.
In 2000 the team added more prizes, giving consumers a one-in-2,000 chance of winning. Golden Globe nominee Natalie Portman wore the grand prize that year, and media and
consumers continued to be enthralled with the promotion. Godiva's Valentine's sales rose 24 percent over the prior year and media coverage included more than 100 million
impressions, including segments on "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Rosie O'Donell Show," as well as a write-up in The Wall Street Journal.
The 2001 effort saw Godiva mark its 75th anniversary with a 7.5-carat diamond ring as a grand prize and 75 diamond bracelets as first prizes. The 2002 effort -- still under
wraps at press time --includes a tie-in with a major jeweler whose work is well known in Hollywood circles.
Chocolates and Challenges
Despite its record of success, the Chocolates & Diamonds campaign still includes obstacles. The celebrity "model" for the year's top prize, for example, can pose a major
hurdle. The team can't approach actresses until the Golden Globe nominees are named, which typically does not happen until mid-December. Yet in order to build up to Valentine's
Day, the campaign must begin in mid-January.
Rather than wait to secure a Golden Globe nominee, the PR team gets the campaign rolling well in advance with press releases and b-roll footage. The timing of the awards show -
- during the third week in January -- ends up being a mixed blessing. "It would be more efficient to have it all buttoned up at the start," says Rosenblum, "but this way it does
allow for a second wave of coverage, because there can be new news" in the form of the announcement of the celebrity endorsement. "By now we have relationships with most agents
who represent celebrities who are nominated for the Golden Globes, so we can do a lot of advance leg work," Rosenblum says.
Keeping It Fresh
One key to the program's ongoing success among consumers has been the PR team's willingness to respond to feedback. The addition of "extra" prizes came as a result of consumer
input. Purchasers told the PR team they felt they didn't have a strong enough chance of winning a single grand prize.
On the media side, Godiva's desire from the outset has been to position itself as a super-premium brand, so Rosenblum has been watching not just the number of media hits but
also their placement. Incorporating a celebrity connection pushed coverage from the food pages to the lifestyle pages.
"What it really does is to reinforce our brand positioning," says Godiva Senior Marketing Manager Julie Felss. "It gives us the opportunity to link two forms of luxury romance
goods together...which helps to make the brand special. It is all about luxury and romance, and all those things that Godiva stands for as a brand." (Contact: Nancy Rosenblum,
212/229-0500, [email protected])
Patrice Tanaka & Company (PT&Co.)
Founded: 1990
HQ: New York City
Number of Employees: About 40
Staff on the 2001 Campaign: Patrice Tanaka, CEO and Creative Director;
Frank de Falco, EVP; Nancy Rosenblum, VP; Denise Young Farrell, Account Supervisor;
Marc Raybin, Account Executive; Jennifer Forte, Assistant Account Executive;
Deborah Pampellone, Account Administrator
Web site: http://www.ptanaka.com