The marketing folks at the Ferrara Candy Co. recently decided that it’s time for a facelift on one of its most iconic candy brands. This week, Lemonheads rolled out a brand new mascot for its social media accounts, as a man who literally has a lemon for head is now the person who we’re supposed to believe is Tweeting things like “So I only get 140 characters? How am I supposed to say everything I need to in 140 characters? I mean, that’s barely enough characters to ev” because that’s just the kind of wit that sells the candy that makes us all look like Renee Zellweger.
Because Ferrara is located in Chicago, the Lemonhead has been making his way around town, supporting the Blackhawks where he can, and the photos that “he” has been Tweeting and posting to Facebook are… not uncreepy, to put it nicely. But you judge for yourselves while I go purchase a case of Now & Laters.
The Chicago Tribune’s Blue Sky got the skinny from Ferrara’s director of marketing, Dawn Sykora, on what goes into such a seemingly drastic change in branding, and fortunately none of the answers included, “THE MAN OF LEMON TELLS ME TO EAT THE SKIN OF THE YOUNG!”
Q: What do you consider when making changes to an iconic brand?
A: Typically on products that are nostalgic, you don’t see them refreshed frequently. We try to be cognizant of what consumers are asking for, and think that through really diligently about how that brand appeals to consumers.
Q: What’s changing about the Lemonhead character?
A: We’re constantly doing research, and one of the things they have said is our character seemed a little dated. We have updates with a little bit of a hairdo. We lost the ‘50s bowtie on the current version. We made the logo a little bigger to make it easier to find on the shelves. He’ll be at the Sweets and Snacks show, and also around the city this weekend, doing normal fun things that any 22-year-old would do. He’s kind of grown up, but he’s lost that little boy look off the package. (Via the Chicago Tribune)
Yes, he’s grown up and now looks like the terrifying Blackhawks fan who I’m looking at through chloroformed eyes.
Or he’s just that one guy who waits for you outside of work ever since you made the mistake of offering him a sympathetic half-smile.