The company is running the initiative within Pandora’s iPhone application. Mobile advertising is the ideal channel for Godiva to use to not only increase sales, but drive in-store traffic as well.

“This is an excellent branded banner ad to gain traffic to a well-known chocolatier for last-minute Valentine purchases, and well-placed on Pandora’s mobile app,” said Marci Troutman, CEO of SiteMinis, Atlanta.

“One suggestion would be a branded landing page that is mobilized with offers for last-minute Valentine’s Day purchases, allowing consumers to view product images with price points to push engagement even further,” she said.

Ms. Troutman is not affiliated with Godiva. She commented based on her expertise on the subject.

Godiva did not respond to press inquiries.

Be my Valentine
The Godiva mobile ad reads, “Fill Her Heart’s Desire. Find a Boutique.”

The banner ad also includes how many miles away the closest location is.

When users tap on the ad, Google Maps asks to use their location.

From there, consumers are given directions on how to get to the nearest location.

Incorporating location into the campaign is a smart move for Godiva, especially given the timeliness of the initiative.

Furthermore, the campaign is simple. It only incorporates Google Maps, which does what it is supposed to do – gives consumers step-by-step directions on how to get to the nearest Godiva store.

More marketers are incorporating location into their strategies to help drive in-store traffic.

Location is particularly a great technology to use, especially since many consumers are still not comfortable making purchases through their mobile device.

Past efforts
Godiva is no stranger to mobile.

In 2009, the company opened another sales channel with the inauguration of a mobile application that played on the impulses of chocolate-lovers.

The Godiva Mobile commerce platform was developed in partnership with Digby. The application provided access to Godiva’s best-selling products, which are updated daily to keep content fresh (see story).

In 2010, Godiva’s mobile revenue was up 57 percent year-to-date compared to 2009. Godiva’s biggest mobile sales volume occurred in February, driven by Valentine’s Day. The monthly mobile revenue was up 1,156 percent from 2009, or 12.5 times greater (see story).

“With Godiva being such a well-known brand, this is a good last minute push with geotargeted directions to the nearest boutique, very much a reduced friction call-to-action,” Ms. Troutman said.