Sweethearts sends 'sweet-and-desist' to Big Tech over 'like' button

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Feb 07, 2023, 08:41 ET

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.

Sweethearts Candies is sending a "sweet-and-desist" open letter to all social media platforms requesting discontinuation of the use of the heart as a "like" function.

The 121-year-old candy brand is launching a movement to spread its message of sharing IRL "likes" by giving Sweethearts—the original "like"—to loved ones.

"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."

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, is 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.

"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®.

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SOURCE Spangler Candy Company