Candy Dish Blog

My favorite thing about the arrival of February? Easy – Sweethearts conversation hearts. I love the way they taste. I love the inscriptions. I love that kids still exchange boxes of them in school. That’s why each February I await the new Sweethearts messages like a kid waiting for Santa.

This year’s new messages do not disappoint, but I was sad to see one go.

First of all, in 2010 we say goodbye to ”Fax Me” which I wholeheartedly support.  Has anyone ever received a romantic fax?  I mean really.

We say hello to, among other things, “Text Me” and “Tweet Me,” both of which I can get behind.  “Text Me” is especially a natural since I am told by Candy Science Laura and the other people in the office who do not remember Commodore 64s and Ataris that texting is the preferred method of communication in a budding romance these days.  “Tweet Me” is a little more unexpected since most tweets would appear in the streams of everyone following you and therefore you’d be unlikely to type “@CandyUSA Last night was brills and I think you are totes cute.”  However, I suppose you could direct message @CandyUSA to pass along your sweet nothings.*

Other new messages messages this year include: “You Rock,” “Soul Mate,” “Love Bug” and “Me + You”. NECCO, the makers of these tiny little romantic candies, also brought back some classic expressions: “Puppy Love,” “Sweet Love,” “Sweat Pea” and “Love Me.”  Are you as surprised as I was to learn “Love Me” had been out of the mix for awhile?  I’m so glad they brought it back.

And finally, on a personal note, I was sad to learn that “E-mail Me” was being retired even though I think it was the right call.  In the early days of our romance, my husband and I did a lot of flirting via e-mail.  No one does that now.  E-mail is a business tool.  My husband IMs me, my friends write on my Facebook page, even my Dad texts me.  No one sends e-mail anymore. So, it was time to say goodbye to the “E-mail Me” Sweetheart, but I’m still sad to see it go.

Apart from the new sayings, Sweethearts have made some other upgrades for Valentine’s Day this year.  New flavors include Green Apple, Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Lemon, Grape and Orange. On top of that, the colors are a lot brighter and more fun. 

Plus (this is my favorite part), there’s now a Sweethearts iPhone app that allows you to send a customized heart to someone you love.  You can also use the online version of the application to post to your own Twitter account or send it via e-mail.

If you were in charge of NECCO for the day, what message would you like to see on a conversation heart?

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*You figured it out.  @CandyUSA is our handle on Twitter.  Not following us yet?  What are you waiting for?

We’ve been previewing new candy items all week and now you have a chance to win a prize pack full of new stuff. We have five prizes to give away and this time it’s going to be a random drawing. All you have to do is leave a comment below and you’ll be entered.

If you want to stack the odds in your favor, do any of the following:

1. Blog about the Candy Dish blog or our candy giveaway contest

2. Tweet about us

3. Follow us on Twitter (CandyUSA)

4. Join our Facebook Group (CandyUSA)

5. Post a candy or chocolate photo to our Flickr Pool (CandyDish Blog)

When you do any of those things, post an additional comment letting us know (include the blog link, tell us what name you’re following us as on Twitter or Facebook, share your tweet or link to your Flickr photo).  It’s that simple.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 26 when we all return from the EXPO.  Look for Carl to post a few things next week about the show and be sure to check out our Tweets to see what we’re up to in Chicago.

I admit to being a little late to the game with this one, but maybe you’ve been living under the rock next to my own.  This week, Carl and I were lucky enough to attend a conference about social media with other folks from some trade associations where we spent two days talking about blogs and Twitter and Facebook and You Tube and just about every other platform out there.  One of the groups addressing the audience was CrossTech Partners and they started their presentation by showing a video.  Of a gorilla.  Playing the drums.

Have you seen it?  There’s a surprise ending and I’m going to give it away, so you should watch the video before continuing.

So we have Phil Collins, a gorilla, a rock-star drum solo and an advertisement for Cadbury Dairy Milk.  Makes sense to me.

Here’s the most amazing part.  The original upload to You Tube had three million views, and then someone posted it again and the re-post had three million views.  And then someone made a remix, and then more people made more remixes and now that silly gorilla has been viewed I can’t even begin to count how many times.  That’s social media and viral marketing at work, folks.  I’ve always found that most things in life are better with a little chocolate at the end.

Had you already seen this video or one of the remakes?  Do you prefer the Total Eclipse of the Heart version?  Deep Purple?  Nirvana?  The spoof with the little stuffed animal?  Or do you just love Cadbury?

We have finally jumped into this year and have a pretty active Twitter account. Please follow us and see what we are writing about. If you are not familiar with Twitter, it is a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices. you can integrate it into your cell phone, send and receive updates through your internet browser and do a whole lot more. We find it useful and fun and are sure you will as well. Give it a shot!

Not using Twitter is SOOOO May 2008.