Rebranding Godiva: The Yıldız Strategy
This case concerns Yıldız Holding’s acquisition of Godiva Chocolatier from its previous owner, Campbell Soup, and its salient strategy in preserving Godiva’s “made in Belgian” brand position. Provenance Paradox, a problem faced by companies in emerging countries trying to establish their brands in developed markets, had not become a problem for Yıldız Holding. The chairman Murat Ülker asked the Godiva management to execute a highly ambitious plan of making the brand widely-available at supermarkets, drug stores and mass channels in the U.S. market. How was the Godiva brand affected by the change in its marketing strategy? How was the execution different in international markets vs. the U.S. market?
Keywords: branding; internationalization; provenance paradox; Acquisitions; positioning; innovation; customer-centricity; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Emerging Markets; Product Positioning; Change Management; Innovation and Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Food and Beverage Industry; North America; Turkey; Japan;
Citation:
Deshpande, Rohit, and Esel Çekin. "Rebranding Godiva: The Yıldız Strategy." Harvard Business School Case 515-059, January 2015. (Revised July 2019.) View Details