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Mike and Ike partner with Paul George, NBA 2K17 for social campaign

Just Born Quality Confections, the makers of Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales candies, has teamed up with NBA star Paul George in New Orleans to introduce its new limited-edition promotional packaging through Snapchat and Instagram.

The campaign will also be cross-promoting the latest edition in 2K Games? extremely popular NBA franchise, NBA 2K17, on which Mr. George graces the cover this year. The partnership will also herald the limited edition Mike and Ike 3 Point Mix, which will hit shelves starting in March 2017.

"The partnership with 2K Sports was a natural fit for both the Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales brands since we know a lot of our fans are gamers," said Brian Bachrach, Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales business team director at Just Born Quality Confections. "Plus, basketball is one of the top sports enjoyed by both our male and female fan base."

Social campaign
To get fans excited, Paul George also answered fan questions through the Mike and Ike?s Snapchat account, @MikeandIkeSnaps, and Hot Tamales? Instagram account @hottamalescandy.

The company announced the partnership with 2K Sports at the launch of NBA 2K17. As part of the partnership, Just Born introduced a new product, game enhancements and a special weekend appearance by four-time NBA All-Star Mr. George as a part of the All-Star Weekend festivities in New Orleans.

The partnership will promote NBA 2K17

The partnership will continue to gain momentum in 2017 with custom product on shelf in March, including valuable locker codes inside specially marked Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales theater box packaging to redeem within the NBA 2K17.

Food and beverage
While the Snapchat and Instagram integrations seems a promising starting point, Just Born Quality Confections will have to ramp up its digital department if it wants to compete with some of the larger conglomerates (with matching ad budgets) in its sector. 

Mars, Incorporated?s Snickers made a bold move for its high-priced Super Bowl spot by filming the ad live and holding a 36-hour Facebook stream, hoping to be the most buzzed-about marketer during the Super Bowl festivities. The ad was indeed one of the most talked-about spots, putting Star Wars and Girls actor Adam Driver on display in a live-recorded Western that was paired with comedic shorts (see story). 

And The Hershey Company is reaping the benefits of a partnership with Uber that sold as many Kisses candy in Mexico over the course of eight hours as did Walmart Mexico during the same period.  Following successful Mother?s Day and Valentine?s Day promotions with Uber in Mexico, The Hershey Company has expanded the relationship to the United States with Kisses-sponsored activations, and will continue to explore how it can combine its brand recognition with Uber?s millennial following to build sales (see story).

The Q&A took place in New Orleans during All-Star Weekend

"When we heard Paul George was a huge fan of Mike and Ike, we decided to develop a fun fan experience with him in addition to our role as the Sweet Game Partner for NBA 2K17!" Mr. Bachrach said.