Dive Brief:
- In time for Valentine's Day and in honor of the 150th anniversary of hits Sweethearts candy, parent-company Necco used socially conscious marketing in a campaign around marriage equality.
- The main campaign creative is a video featuring a male couple from Texas who were able to marry last year after 55 years together following the Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage.
- Necco makes around 2.5 billion of the tiny candy Sweetheart hearts each year.
Dive Insight:
"Our communities are becoming bigger and more connected," Necco CEO Michael McGee told Adweek. "For a brand, that means traditional, one-sided communication is not enough. You have to find ways to help consumers participate with your brand and have your conversation become interactive."
The Hill Holliday-created campaign includes a contest website where visitors can share stories of "of sharing, love, friendship and words from the heart" with a $5,000 prize.
The campaign theme fits into a trend toward socially conscious marketing, particularly when reaching millennials. Research from Omnicom Group’s Cone Communications found Gen Y-ers will spend 70% more on brands that support causes, a tactic worth pursuing because that group has $2.45 trillion in buying power. Socially conscious marketing has become lucrative enough for boutique agencies specializing in social marketing to grab brands such as Google, Nike and Clif Bar for socially conscious marketing campaigns.