Making Life a
Little Sweeter

opportunity

360PR+ set out to help Sweethearts Candies own the conversation around conversation hearts – and drive sales. First and foremost, we needed to develop a theme that would give consumers compelling reasons to engage with Sweethearts Candies and re-establish Sweethearts as the authentic conversation hearts brand amid other brands’ increasingly aggressive marketing.

approach

Tapping into the 2022 winter games and, at the same time, giving pandemic-weary consumers reasons to rally, 360PR+ created 16 new sayings – all under the theme of Words of Encouragement. At the center of our campaign was a buzzworthy gifting promotion, inviting consumers to nominate someone special to receive a surprise box of Sweethearts, complete with personal note from senders with encouraging words. To spread the word, we developed a message-reveal video that went live on Facebook in mid-January, catalyzing coverage, buzz and sweepstakes awareness. Our internally built microsite served as the campaign’s hub, touting the Words of Encouragement theme and fielding entries.

results

Our campaign for Sweethearts succeeded on all fronts, driving coverage and conversation and, most important, nearly 100% sell-through of Sweethearts Candies by Valentine’s Day 2022. Over 200 stories/769M+ impressions in the four-week sales window leading up to Valentine’s Day, with outlets like Food Network, Reader’s Digest, The Cut, The Drew Barrymore Show and dozens of TV stations around the country covering. Earned 77% of the online share of voice for conversation hearts. Generated 15K+ sweepstakes entries, spurred by media coverage and our launch video on Facebook.