Nothing says “special occasion” like getting a box of decadent Godiva chocolates. This is great news for Godiva quality perception; and bad news for expanding the brand. Through a licensing agreement with Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Godiva hopes to find its way into everyday occasions with truffle-inspired flavored coffee sold at grocery. How do you preserve such premium equities while asking coffee shoppers to think of you as an everyday brand like Dunkin Donuts or Seattle’s Best? What are the design cues in-store, at-shelf and on-pack that strike this important perceptual balance?

We developed a research methodology that relied heavily on using stimulus across the 5 senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell—to inspire respondents to richly describe their feelings about coffee. They made associations with imagery, music clips, and textiles. By giving respondents a sensory-based vocabulary, we uncovered primal insights that led to distinct design cues and triggers for Godiva point-of-sale at grocery.

Deep insights happen when you take a crooked path. We believe in non-linear ways to engage people.