Professor Boches comments on new Necco ad in the Boston Globe
Sweethearts fly off shelves only a few weeks a year, but with 2.5 billion hearts sold annually they are one Necco’s hottest candies. The company has worked to keep them current, in recent years, putting out a line of sour candies, launching a Twitter #tweethearts campaign, and, in 2009,partnering with the “Twilight” movie franchise on vampire-themed messages.
Having a gay couple as the face of the brand is perhaps more controversial, but chief executive Michael McGee considers Jack and George a “sweet, innocent story” at a time when same-sex marriage has become widely accepted.
Indeed, this is the moment that advertisers will get the most out of featuring gay families, said advertising professor Edward Boches.
“It’s a bandwagon that everyone can jump on now because it’s legal, but it’s still fresh enough that it’s going to generate buzz,” Boches said, noting that dozens of companies had “a rainbow version of something” online the day after the Supreme Court decision. “Brands want to be part of the cultural conversation. They want to appear to be topical, but they play it safe.”
