REVERE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO), the maker of the well-loved Sweethearts candy with affectionate sayings, is getting personal leading up to Valentine’s Day by unveiling new products and platforms to make the holiday even more special for friends and loved ones. Their new launches this month include: #Tweethearts, a customized social media campaign which uses Twitter to create personalized Sweethearts candies; a first-ever “Color Your Own” Sweethearts packaging and design contest for kids; and limited-edition engraveable solid gold Sweethearts with custom messages.
For those lucky in love looking for a high end gift as sweet as candy, NECCO has it covered, as they introduce 24 karat gold custom Sweethearts. For the first time ever, customers can purchase a box of four one-half ounce sweethearts in solid gold, packaged in a Sweethearts box, for the price of $19,995. The luxurious solid gold Sweethearts are available for purchase exclusively to the first 14 purchasers at NECCO’s online store, www.mynecco.com. For those with less extravagant tastes, lower-priced customizable candy items are available on the site.
“Each year passionate fans reach out to inform us they love Sweethearts and are constantly seeking more extraordinary ways to express their love,” explains Alyssa Hills, NECCO’s director of marketing. “In response to this year’s Valentine’s Day excitement, we are offering even more bold ways of customization – like our solid gold heart stunners.”
With social media providing an ever-expanding way to express one’s sentiment, NECCO just launched #Tweethearts, a customized social campaign, created by advertising and marketing agency Hill Holliday. The #Tweetheart platform allows users to create customized Sweetheart candy hearts for the big day using Twitter. The dedicated website, www.neccotweethearts.com, features a friendly interface where users are invited to send a personalized tweet to @tweethearts. After sending the tweet, a user receives a response tweet with an image of a Sweetheart with his or her message. Users can then order the personalized candies for delivery, share the image virally, or both. Those choosing delivery can purchase their customized candy in a one pound bag for $29.99, delivered within five business days.
Rick McHugh, vice president, creative director at Hill Holliday and one of the talents behind the #Tweethearts campaign, said of the program, “#Tweethearts is truly a modern way to celebrate the classic NECCO Sweethearts brand on its biggest day of the year. Turning something that's digital into something that's physical is a dream creative assignment, and we’re thrilled to bring it to life for NECCO.”
For the youngest generations of Sweethearts fans who want to get creative this Valentine’s Day, NECCO released a new packaging and a “Color Your Own” contest for children ages 5-12. The black and white, crayon and marker-friendly Sweethearts “Color Your Own” packaging was developed to invoke kids’ imaginations. The boxes provide a canvas for kids to create a personalized gift – and the designs can be entered in the “Color Your Own” contest at www.necco.com, that runs through March 1, 2014. Grand prize winners in each category receive a $1,000 savings bond certificate and the opportunity to have their own personal saying appear as a Sweetheart candy for the 2015 Valentine’s Day season. The runners-up will win a giant NECCO goodie bag worth $200 each.
Sweethearts Conversation Hearts were created in 1866. The hearts first became a wedding day favorite, bearing messages meant for the bride and groom, however, soon the entire family began to enjoy today’s confectionery treat. Sweethearts are a leading Valentine’s Day candy and still feature some of the original sayings including “Kiss Me” and “Be Mine.” More than four million pounds of Sweethearts candies are sold in the six weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day.
About
The New England Confectionery Company, Inc. (www.necco.com) was founded in 1866 and is the longest running, multi-line candy company in the United States. With nearly 150 years of history, the New England Confectionery Company's popular brands include: Sweethearts®, NECCO Wafers®, Mary Jane®, Clark®, Haviland®, Canada Mints®, Skybar®, Mighty Malts®, and Candy House®. Today, the New England Confectionery Company is a leader in seasonal products, particularly for Valentine's Day, and also manufactures well-loved everyday products. More than 500 confectionery items are produced at the company's state-of-the-art headquarters in Revere, MA, which has consistently received a Superior rating from the American Institute of Baking. The New England Confectionery Company also produces private label products and performs contract manufacturing for other confectionery companies.
About Hill Holliday
Hill Holliday is proud to be among the top creative marketing agencies in the country, with 950 employees across its network. We work on some of the nation's largest and most respected brands, and our success came by putting people and ideas first. We were founded in 1968 and today we bring unbeatable talent and expertise to every area of modern communications on behalf of industry leaders like Cadillac, Verizon Wireless, Bank of America, Dunkin' Donuts, (RED), John Hancock, TripAdvisor, Major League Baseball, TJX, Merrell, Capella University, Chili's, Novartis and WHOLE WORLD Water. For more about our people, our work, and our culture, please visit http://www.hhcc.com.
