Dive Brief:
- Haribo today (April 27) launched a one-day social media broadcast, called “Good News Goldbears,” to share exclusively happy news, per a press release. The move is timed to National Gummi Bear Day.
- For the broadcast, the brand reenvisioned its Facebook and Instagram profiles to share positive videos compiled from influencers, user-generated content and brand-produced news skits. It also launched a 24-hour Good News Hotline.
- The brand additionally collaborated with Vans Customs to create a limited-edition Goldbear print. The effort is inspired by research indicating the positive impacts for those who more frequently digest mood-boosting news.
Dive Insight:
Gummi brand Haribo is bringing the sweetness this National Gummi Bear Day in an effort to uplift consumers at a time when there is an ongoing national discourse around the negative effects of social media. Haribo’s push was planned around findings from Pew Research showing most Americans get their news from social media, and from Psychology Today, which referenced a study indicating that increased exposure to positive news can insulate readers from the effects of negative news.
To help fill consumers’ positive-news bank, the brand for one day only and starting at 9 a.m. ET on April 27 will run its “Good News Goldbears” news broadcast. Leading up to the effort, consumers could call the Good News Hotline and share positive news for the chance to be featured during the effort. Haribo isn’t new to playful social media efforts, having previously created an augmented reality lens on Instagram to make adult voices sound like children as part of a larger campaign.
The brand also crafted a custom print with Vans, representing a continuation of its initial collaboration with the shoe maker that was launched earlier this month. While not tied to its gummi bear day festivities, Haribo in press materials also teased a forthcoming Goldbears pack mix timed for summer.
This year’s National Gummi Bear Day effort marks the second such celebration for Haribo, which created the holiday last year in partnership with the National Day Calendar to honor the 100th anniversary of its iconic gelatin bear. For its initial effort, the brand hosted a year-long sweepstakes rewarding four consumers with a weeklong vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and again encouraged consumers to engage with the brand on Instagram.
Other marketers have unveiled cheeky efforts aimed at honoring an on-brand National Day. For example, mustard brand French’s last year partnered with artisanal donut maker Dough Donuts for a mustard-flavored donut in honor of National Mustard Day. Similarly, Applebee’s for National Wing Day unveiled a series of wing sauce-inspired lip glosses along with an original music video called “Taste My Face.”
