New marshmallow Peeps social media campaign targets millennial moms

With the presidential campaigns running hot and strong, Just Born Quality Confections has hired a Madison Avenue firm to run a Peeps marketing set that targets millennial moms by offering an election of its own. The Terri and Sandy Solution firm will pit groundhogs against the Peeps chicks in a series of videos on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to determine which will be crowned “the true sign of spring.”

Although the Peeps’ newest social media campaign is the first digital marketing campaign launched by Just Born, it seems the candies are set to become more involved in the world of social media. The four videos will run from now until two weeks before Groundhog Day with the overall message being that Peeps aren’t just for Easter, but are some of the first signs of spring.

Millennial moms who grew up with Peeps in their Easter baskets are using them in a whole new way. They aren’t just Easter treats anymore, but the focus of many craft projects and kitchen experiments with the microwave and sometimes, even open flames. This is largely due to the growing popularity of memes and videos on social networking platforms. After all, even if you don’t particularly like the taste of Peeps, who doesn’t get a kick out of Peeps chicks pole dancing or participating in other hilarious memes? In fact, about 40 percent of Peeps sold aren’t even ingested.

In a New York Post article, senior brand manager Noelle Porcoro says the social media campaign is expected to bring in a 10 percent increase in Peeps sales this year. Moms and other Peeps fans can start buying the marshmallow characters eight weeks before Easter, which falls on March 27 this year. This leaves plenty of time to start creating your own election memes supporting your preferred candidate — the groundhog or the Peeps chicks.

For Just Born, the new social media efforts mean a whole new method of marketing targeting a new generation and a potential increase in sales. For Peeps fans, in general, it provides a new vehicle for getting the creative juices flowing using a marshmallow treat that’s been around since the ’50s, as well as an excuse to purchase and eat them a little earlier.