Indulge in Promotion

CRUNCHY NUGGET:  With a big, pink box of Godiva chocolates given to me by my Husband this Valentine’s Day, this past weekend, I was eager to see – not the truffles – but the execution of an in-pack sweeps I’ve read about in prior years.  Opening up the box, it was revealed to me that, indeed, I didn’t win the Ultimate Chocolate Fantasy:  a weekend in a chocolate suite in NYC and lots of chocolate dining opportunities.  Now, I love and adore chocolate, and I am a fan of the sweepstakes administrator who handles this program (PST in CT).  And the fact a purchased product delivers the game card is pretty clever in sweeps legal world (alternate entry methods, I’m sure exist).  So biases aside, putting my red consumer “hat” on, here’s where I would take this program: Online.  Drive the consumer to register so you have an idea of who’s engaging, who’s not.  The game card was subtle and tasteful – and very, very quiet.   No reason to dream, no reason to talk about it.  If you go to Godiva’s site, indeed, they elegantly explain the chocolate lover’s dream prize.  And link you to a PR event with Brooke Shields and Jonathan Adler, showing the custom designed suite of chocolate.  The prize pool is excellent.  All pay off the brand and indulge a love of chocolate.  And the PR looked fabulous.  It was absolutely the strongest marketing mix element, and quite possibly its reason for being.  But as I tossed out my game card, I left the experience simply with dark chocolate.  TASTY TREND: PR-omotion