Sweethearts sends 'sweet-and-desist' to Big Tech over 'like' button
Ohio Pen/10211660

Family-owned candy company takes on social media for Valentine's Day

BRYAN, Ohio, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, Sweethearts Candies, a product of Spangler Candy Company, is sending a "sweet-and-desist" open letter to all social media platforms sweetly requesting discontinuation of the use of the heart as a "like" button. The cheeky message states that the like button has lost its meaning and that Sweethearts is going to reinstate the value of sharing "like" with the world.

"The word 'like' used to really mean something before Big Tech companies got their hands on it. Or in this case, their fingers," said Kirk Vashaw, CEO of Spangler Candy Company, Sweethearts' family-owned parent company. "For once, we won't sugarcoat it. The 'like button' isn't living up to its name."

More on Ohio Pen

• InventHelp Inventor Develops New Jet Engine Screen (FGC-169)
• Agemin Unveils Breakthrough AI Model for Biometric Age Estimation, Setting New Standards in Online Child Safety
• Strategic Partnerships with Defiant Space Corp and Emtel Energy USA Powerfully Enhance Solar Tech Leader with NASA Agreements: Ascent Solar $ASTI
• 120% Revenue Surge with Four Straight Profitable Quarters Signal a Breakout in the Multi-Billion Dollar Homebuilding Market: Innovative Designs $IVDN
• Leading Venture Capital Firms Recognize Wzzph Exchange's Technical Architecture and Security Framework as Industry Benchmark

The sweet-and-desist suggests a new button that better describes what people mean when they tap it, including a "heard" button, a "seen" button and a "cool story bro" button, among others.

The message kicks off a social media movement by Sweethearts based on survey data the brand collected that found that 78% of Gen Z respondents would rather get an actual Sweethearts candy heart from a friend or loved one in real life (IRL) than a digital heart on a social media post. 83% say getting a real-life "like" in the form of a candy heart expresses affection more.

The iconic, 121-year-old candy brand, Sweethearts Candies, which was acquired by Spangler in 2018 and re-released in 2020, launching an expanded social media presence this Valentine's season on Instagram and TikTok to spread its message of sharing IRL "likes" by giving Sweethearts—the original "like"—to loved ones.

More on Ohio Pen

• DivX Unveils Major DivX Software Update: Seamless Video Sharing and Customizable Playback Now Available
• Nespolo Mechanical Helps New Mexico Families Save Thousands on Heating Costs This Fall
• Mamta Jha Mishra Releases New Book: "Energy Management: Mantras for Caregivers"
• Leading Digital Finance Platform YNQTL Launches Revolutionary Web3 Digital Asset Trading Platform
• IDCXS Addresses Crypto Trading Pain Points with 2 Million TPS Processing and Multi-Layer Security Architecture

"We like social media as much as the next family-owned candy company," said Vashaw. "But what we don't like is when it ruins 'like' for the rest of us."

For more information about Sweethearts' IRL Like Movement, visit sweetanddesist.com.

About Spangler Candy® Company
Spangler Candy® Company has been family-owned and operated in Bryan, Ohio, since 1906. Under its Dum-Dums® flagship, it is one of the largest lollipop producers in the world and the only major candy cane producer in the United States. Other products include Saf-T-Pops®, Spangler® Circus Peanuts and Sweethearts®, Necco® Wafers, Canada® Mints and Bit-O-Honey®.

Media Contact:
Laura Mansfield, APR
Tombras
[email protected]
865.599.9968

SOURCE Spangler Candy Company

---

Show All News | Report Violation