Is Godiva’s decadence all dried up?
Came across these the other day at Macy’s. Not Neiman Marcus, where I’d expect Godiva to hawk its fine chocolates. Macy’s.
Apparently Godiva has created a sub-brand called Chocoiste, described on the website as “decadence goes mobile.” Indulgence and convenience aren’t two concepts that go together naturally, but it’s a nice combo to strive for. The risk is that mobility will come at the expense of decadence, leaving your brand standing for the wrong idea—or worse yet, nothing at all. While the creation of a sub-brand helps protect the masterbrand from potential failure, “Godiva” is still pretty prominently featured on this packaging.
As is the phrase “MADE FROM DRIED STRAWBERRIES.”
Dried strawberries just don’t pack the same “decadence” punch in my mind, especially because, since these products share the Godiva brand, they’ll inevitably be compared with Godiva’s more famous chocolate-covered strawberries.
It reminds me of when I started seeing “We Proudly Brew Starbucks Coffee” at cheap hotels, and the coffee tasted even worse than it does at Starbucks. Or when I started noticing Steve Madden shoes at Shoe Pavilion. Both brands suffered terribly. Specifically, many consumers no longer consider them high-end brands. Is this the beginning of the end for Godiva?
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PG,
Thanks for the comment. I see your point about these being easier to ship, but that’s a logistics consideration, not a brand/reputation consideration. In other words, if a restaurant’s success depends on its reputation for fresh, organic food, but the management realizes it’s easier and cheaper to have frozen, preservative-infused food shipped to the restaurant, is that a good excuse to do so?
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Er, I’m not sure you’re getting the point of the “mobile” sub-brand. The idea is that these are chocolates that will survive shipping and otherwise being in less than ideal temperatures. It’s a lot cheaper to mail someone a package of dried strawberries coated with chocolate than to mail them fresh strawberries, because you don’t have to keep the dried kind in refrigeration. I have tried these, and they taste fantastic; dehydration concentrates the strawberry flavor. As online sales become an increasingly large part of the retail market — especially for Godiva’s middle-to-upper class target — it’s very smart to offer more products that can be purchased online and sent by mail, without incurring huge shipping costs for next-day delivery or refrigeration.