Leighton Meester Embodies the Legendary Lady Godiva in GODIVA's Bold and Iconic New Campaign

The campaign spotlights the Masterpiece Collection, crafted to delight a new generation of chocolate lovers

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GODIVA, the legendary chocolatier founded in Belgium nearly a century ago, is teaming up with actress and singer, Leighton Meester, to debut its newest campaign: "Lady Godiva Returns: A Modern Masterpiece is Born."

Launching today, Lady Godiva returns to the cultural spotlight through a campaign brought to life by Leighton Meester, a modern icon who embodies the timeless spirit of GODIVA's namesake. Debuting across connected TV, out-of-home, billboards, digital, and social platforms, the cinematic short film spotlights GODIVA's new Masterpiece Collection, the latest iteration of premium chocolate craftsmanship.

Each Masterpiece is crafted to deliver a bold, elegant, and multi-sensorial experience. Encased in a crisp chocolate shell with a luxuriously slow-melting center, the first bite into a Masterpiece starts with a snap followed by the unveiling of layers of texture and taste.

Lady Godiva Returns: A Modern Masterpiece is Born is a short-form video directed by Adrian Villagomez. Launching across social platforms, the film stars Leighton Meester taking inspiration from Lady Godiva herself in a bold reimagining of the classic art heist. Instead of stealing a masterpiece, she restores it to its rightful place—introducing the Masterpiece Collection in a museum setting worthy of its craft.

Leighton embodies the values of the powerful, feminine brand muse; bold. Strong. Generous. Subtle. Creative. That's not just Lady Godiva—it's everything GODIVA has strived for since 1926 – Leighton was the perfect choice to welcome this new era of reimagination.

"Chocolate is one of my favorite simple indulgences, and GODIVA transforms those everyday moments into something truly special," says Leighton Meester. "Portraying the role of Lady Godiva has been such a meaningful way to celebrate that joy and bring the spirit of the brand to life."

The Only Masterpiece You Can Taste 

Within the Masterpiece Collection, each chocolate is smooth, rich, and artfully crafted to perfection. With layers of texture and flavor designed to captivate the senses, Masterpiece transforms chocolate indulgence into a true work of art. The collection includes:

• Decadent Dark Chocolate Ganache: Filled with a rich and creamy chocolate ganache, delicately coated with a thin, crisp shell of GODIVA signature dark chocolate. 
• Heavenly Milk Ganache: Coated with a thin cracking shell of GODIVA signature milk chocolate, filled with rich and creamy ganache. 
• Silky Smooth Caramel: Buttery soft caramel infused with Madagascar vanilla and delicately covered with a thin, crisp shell of GODIVA signature dark chocolate.

"For nearly a century, GODIVA has set the standard for premium chocolate by uniting artistry and innovation, we're stepping into our second century with more purpose, passion, and power than ever before," says Steve Lesnard, President GODIVA.

"With each Masterpiece, we celebrate GODIVA's rich heritage, while inspiring a new generation of chocolate lovers to embrace this collection as a fine art form," says Ahad Afridi, CMO Americas, pladis.

The Masterpiece collection will be available nationwide beginning in fall 2025. The 4.1-ounce size, priced at $7.49, will be sold at Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, HEB, Albertsons, Wakefern and Wegmans. A 7-ounce bag, priced at $15, will be available at Macy's, Kohl's, Dillard's and Godiva.com. A larger 15.1-ounce bag, priced at $14.99, will be sold at Costco and BJ's.

Lady Godiva Returns: A Modern Masterpiece is Born 

Uncover the full campaign and explore more at GODIVA.com and follow along on GODIVA's Instagram and YouTube pages.

About pladis

pladis is one of the world's fastest growing snacking companies and its portfolio includes much loved brands including McVitie's, GODIVA and Ülker. pladis also owns regional brands Jacob's, Go Ahead, Flipz, Turtles, BN, Verkade and many more products across sweet and savory biscuits, wafer, cake, and chocolate.

Formed in 2016, pladis is the proud steward of over 300 years of family baking and confectionery experience. The expertise of its 16,000-strong global workforce spans 27 bakeries across 11 countries and is founded on collaboration, agility and resilience. As a responsible business, delivering the highest quality products and exceptional service, pladis' products have the potential to reach more than four billion people across the world.

As a global leader in premium chocolate, GODIVA was founded in Brussels in 1926 by master Belgian chocolatier, Pierre Draps. It has an established global footprint across more than 100 markets where customers can expect to find GODIVA products in many fine retailers, online, and, depending on the market, at brick-and-mortar locations like boutiques and cafes.

GODIVA was acquired in 2008 by Yildiz Holding of Türkiye. pladis and GODIVA are subsidiaries of Yildiz Uluslararasi Gida Yatirimlari AS.