Dive Brief:

• Starburst is releasing calendars to help fans of its All Pink flavor variety practice self-love, per a company announcement. The effort is timed to Self-Care Awareness Month, which is September.
• The #DoYou Challenge calendars feature 30 days of self-love challenges, inspirational messages, surprise items and Starburst All Pink candies. Beginning Sept. 28, the print calendars will go on sale for $0.99 on StarburstAllPink.com.
• The campaign aims to help fans embody qualities of self-compassion that the Mars Wrigley brand has linked with its pink flavor. In doing so, Starburst seeks to deepen the association between these uplifting feelings and its fan-favorite product.

Dive Insight:

Starburst is promoting its special pink flavor pack around themes of wellness in order to nurture positive brand associations. Mental health awareness is an issue many young consumers are passionate about, leading some brands to weave it into their marketing strategy. By timing the campaign around Self-Care Awareness Month, Starburst could potentially garner more attention online, though the calendar's arrival at the tail end of the month may suggest the brand plans to extend enduring awareness to the cause beyond September.

The calendar giveaway could help to drive brand affinity beyond traditional advertising. Each day offers a new challenge, prizes and candies, potentially enticing consumers to engage with the calendar throughout the full 30 days. The calendar builds on a giveaway Starburst launched last year to celebrate National Self-Care Day (July 24), which included self-care kits for treat buyers and coincided with the permanent release of the brand's All Pink flavor pack.

This time around, the printed challenge calendar will be available to buyers through a branded site, allowing Starburst to collect valuable first-party data on its fans amid a shakeup in the data privacy landscape. After the calendars sell out, Starburst will allow consumers to interact with the challenge online, expanding the effort's reach to digital audiences who may not have purchased the physical calendar.

Central to the #DoYou challenge is the idea of embodying what it means to be a pink Starburst, which the brand maintains is synonymous with feeling "special, empowered, and loved," per the release. The idea is based on widespread belief that the pink strawberry flavor is the best, which inspired a 2018 campaign to turn it into a meme behind the slogan "I am a pink Starburst" and an all-pink merchandise drop.

With its #DoYou challenge, Starburst is the latest candy brand to activate cultural interests to reach young consumers. Nerds last month released packaging that unlocked a Dungeons & Dragons experience, and Sweetarts earlier this summer created an online music mixer that emphasized inclusivity, individuality and creativity.