Assignment Two
It is time to find out the brand image of Godiva in the minds of consumers. The key objective is to find out how much involved Godiva is in their lives and also try to find similarities between the users’ lifestyle so that we can draw linkages between them and Godiva. Firstly, we will employ the technique of diary-keeping, making sure that our subjects are not exposed to any form of knowledge that we are keeping tabs on their routines so that we can observe them in the most natural way possible. Next we will employ a series of qualitative and quantitative research to get a clearer picture and gain more insights on how Godiva is perceived by their customers’ base. With the observations made from the exploratory research, quantitative and qualitative researches, we believe we can determine Godiva’s brand image accurately.
Exploratory Study
Over the past week. we conducted an exploratory study with 7 participants who have purchased Godiva in the last 6 months. Out of the 7 interviewees, 3 of them purchased products from GODIVA within the week of study. Primary reason for purchase would be for gifts and self indulgence. Based on such observations, our group concludes that 43% of our participants have established a 'best-friend' relationship with the brand Godiva, while the rest have maintained a 'casual relationship'. (Susan Fournier 1998)
Qualitative Study
From our qualitative analysis, where we wanted to gain a clearer picture on the brand image of Godiva chocolates, we realize that the results are quite consistent. Analysis showed that the brand Godiva is largely associated with the affluent and the rich. Hence customers of Godiva will largely only buy their chocolates as gifts because of the status and prestige that will come along with them and not for self-indulgence purposes. Surprisingly, Godiva's chocolates seem to be easily substituted and this can be observed from the blind taste test we conducted when Godiva did not stand out from their competitors. However, there is a trend to suggest that more consumers are switching their consumption pattern to dark chocolates due to medical reviews on their benefits, a trend which Godiva can definitely aim to exploit further.
Quantitative Study
From the survey findings we found that Godiva has low brand recall when it comes to chocolate but when consumers thinks of premium chocolate, Godiva stands at a higher position. This is in line with the survey finding of the strength, favorability and uniqueness of Godiva that is providing high quality chocolate. Although brand awareness of Godiva is relatively high, Godiva still lacks of brand loyalty. In order to move in line with the global strategy, Godiva has a few areas to improve on. In example, Godiva need to work on being more accessible which respondents feel there is a lack in Godiva.