• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer, 4 hours ago

While a box of chocolates may be the most predictable Valentine’s Day gesture — and one that still anchors how millions of people celebrate the holiday — Godiva is betting that predictability doesn’t have to mean generic.

For Valentine’s Day, the Belgian chocolatier is returning to actor Leighton Meester as Lady Godiva, with a campaign that uses romance to reinforce Godiva’s positioning as a high-end gifting brand at a moment when chocolate is ubiquitous and competition is fierce.

Themed “Say It With Godiva,” the effort is designed to move Valentine’s Day beyond product and into meaning. Rather than framing chocolate as a box to be checked, the brand is positioning each assortment as a gesture — something that communicates intention, care and a sense of occasion.

“Valentine’s Day is absolutely a strong moment for us, but the opportunity is not just demand, it is differentiation,” says Ahad Afridi, CMO of Pladis in the Americas, which owns Godiva. The goal is to “elevate Valentine’s beyond product and into meaning and emotion,” shifting the focus from what consumers buy to what they are saying when they give it.

Meester “makes Godiva feel aspirational and emotionally approachable at the same time,” he says, in an email to CPG Insider. “Rather than reinventing the story, we chose to deepen it. This year’s Queen of Hearts interpretation is more intimate and romantic, with a greater focus on closeness and shared feelings. Love, romance, and trust are emotional territories, and building equity takes time.”

Emotional equity is particularly important this year, as Godiva continues to expand its retail reach, including availability through Amazon and mass channels. And the company is determined to make sure that wider distribution doesn’t dilute that sense of luxury.

The goal is to use storytelling to build that sense of quality, so the campaign uses cinematic visuals, high-profile out-of-home placements, including a Times Square billboard, and elegant heart-shaped assortments. Lippe Taylor developed the campaign, which is also running in digital, social, and influencer channels.

At the product level, Godiva is anchoring the campaign with its Gold Collection, Truffles and Masterpieces lines, alongside limited-edition heart-shaped assortments designed to feel collectible as well as indulgent.

In a crowded Valentine’s market, Godiva is making a familiar bet: that emotion, done well, can still signal luxury.