IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Love

  • Oh Red, How I Love Too

    There are many legends and stories explaining the history of Valentine’s Day and St. Valentine, but one thing remains the same; Valentine’s Day is a holiday where lovers express their affection for one another.  Every year marketers use the same tactics to attract their love struck consumers into the arms of their products. Valentine’s Day advertisements are flooded with hearts, flowers, and of course the colors of love: red and pink. Red and pink symbolize passion and tranquility and are considered the most romantic colors. However, the appeal of generic pink candy and red roses will eventually run its course. So it’s time to spice it up and show your love that you put some real effort into this Valentine’s Day.

    M&M’s are promoting their brand this Valentine’s Day season by offering a sweet alternative to help consumers express their feelings to their loved ones.  The commercial features “Red,” the helpless romantic candy bite, who cannot respond to the love of his life with the three words, “I-Love-You.”  M&M’s understands that it is not always easy to express your feelings. With that in mind they are here to make it easier with personalized M&M’s. Popular messages include “Be mine,” “You make me melt”, “You Had Me at Hello” and “I Love You.” M&M’s also features a prepackaged Valentine’s Day blend with an assortment of colors, sayings and symbols. If that won’t cut it the Romance Bundle may be for you. It comes complete with a teddy bear and three bags of personalized M&M’s wrapped up in a gift box.  Remember, personalization shows that you took time out of your glamorous day to care!

    Through this strategic marketing plan, M&M’s enhances their brand by making it convenient for their consumers to spice up Valentine’s Day. M&M’s are one of the few companies that offer personalized messages on their candy products. This allows the company to stand out against the assortment of chocolaty competitors. Keep in mind that personalized candies aren’t just for Valentine’s Day, but also for any of life’s sweet moments.

    -Kelsey Bendig, Andrea Blanton, Brooke Keller, Brian Burch

  • All The Single Ladies

    Valentine’s Day is a holiday dreaded by a great deal of people, both male and female, for various reasons. There is pressure on both genders to perform, declare emotions, and out-do previous years or expectations. Those who fail at this task of grandstanding may in fact find themselves without a date for next year. Okay, so there’s a ton of pressure on people in relationships, but what about those of us who are single? While some take pride in their solitude, others wish they had someone to be their valentine, and a few twitch at the mere thought of being in a relationship.

    According to an article in the New York Times, being single is a prevalent occurrence these days with 59.9 million single women in America. This staggering rate may surprise some, but companies like Dove chocolate see these table-for-one ladies as a prime marketing demographic. They hope to strike a chord with this growing independent group by catering their advertising to the women who are without companions. That is why this year Dove has made a campaign to remind women Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance.

    Dove is banking on the stereotype that single women will turn to chocolate this year on Valentine’s Day. Instead of the standard “Call me” or “I’m yours” found on the candy hearts we used to share with our playground crush, Dove has created a host of witty comments and placed them on the inside of their chocolate wrappers. Some of the best include, “You’re gorgeous,” “Sometimes I buy flowers for myself,” “My flaws are fabulous” and even the ever so uplifting, “Love yourself in a moment.” The new commercial features women sharing their Dove chocolates with everyone from their barista to their neighbor, and most importantly, themselves. Is this a message of independence for the strong woman? Or rather, a cheap ploy based upon the assumption that women alone on Valentine’s Day will inevitably console themselves with chocolate? Either way it’s hard to dislike chocolate, especially when it’s making single girls smile and promising not to judge if we have more than one.

    By: Alexis Kapczynski, Kacy Cox, Josh Bowman, and Sara Kaloudis