Saying “No” to 義理チョコ
The Japanese expression of Valentine's Day is a unique thing.
In the workplace, women give token chocolates to men with the expectation there will be equal or better reciprocation one month later on ホワイトデー.
This year (2017年) Godiva ran a campaign targeting up-market consumers, including a full page ad in the Nikkei newspaper, to urge women not to participate.
At first appearance, this was unexpected coming from a chocolate brand, arguing against the gifting of chocolate.
The part of the message that was against buying obligatory chocolate (義理チョコ) for male colleagues at work sounded contemporary to me, and perhaps a welcome change in workplace norms.
But, as ADWEEK noted in it's coverage of the Godiva campaign ... "it’s worth mentioning that women tend to buy lower-priced chocolates, not premium sweets like Godiva, for giri choco. So, opposing the practice likely won’t hurt Godiva’s sales."
Smart, competitive.
