Iconic chocolate brand Godiva has picked McCann New York as the agency to handle an upcoming campaign after a review. Initiative, which was also involved in the review, will serve as media partner for the project.
The assignment concerns Godiva’s upcoming holiday campaign, which marks the biggest single spend of the year for the historic candy maker.
“Godiva North America is delighted to be working with McCann this holiday season,” said the client’s head of marketing and innovation for North America Nagisa Manabe. “Holiday is a key time for our business, and it was essential for us to partner with an agency that could bring our chocolates and the joy they bring to others to life. We know that McCann’s brilliant creative will help us introduce the chocolates in innovative ways to both new and existing chocolate lovers.”
McCann North America president Chris Macdonald said, “There is no better time than the holidays to be working with a Chocolatier and helping them celebrate their incredibly meaningful role in people’s lives; especially when the brand is as iconic as Godiva. We are delighted to be their partner and excited by the creative opportunity.”
Godiva Chocolatier recently celebrated its 90th anniversary. Adweek attended the party in Brussels earlier this year, where brand representatives discussed the challenges of embracing a rich history while also appealing to younger audiences.
The brand most recently worked with Pereira & O’Dell after that agency won a review for project-based work that was limited to a 2015 Q4 holiday effort.
While Godiva is instantly recognizable, its advertising spend is relatively modest and much of its creative is, traditionally, print and digital. In 2015, the company spent $575,000 on paid media, according to Kantar Media. As further evidence that Godiva focuses almost exclusively on holiday advertising, its spend was more than four times higher during the second half of the calendar year.
McCann New York’s recent account wins include Qualcomm, Lysol (including India-based sister brand Dettol) and, most prominently, Chick-Fil-A. The office also expanded its relationships with MasterCard and Verizon.