For candy lovers, few products spark as much debate as candy corn. People either love it or love to talk about it, making it a powerful brand asset.
Our H5 team saw a unique PR opportunity to transform one of fall’s most iconic seasonal treats into something that consumers never expected: a signature scent.
The result was Brach’s Ode to Candy Corn, a limited-edition fragrance that captured the nostalgic scent profile of candy corn and instantly became one of the season’s most talked-about launches. Within a few short weeks, the earned media campaign generated 4.5 billion impressions and more than 1,350 placements, including feature stories in top tier outlets like People, USA Today, Delish, Food Network, Fast Company, Parade, Axios, CNN, The Today Show with Jenna & Sheinelle and more.
But the media coverage didn’t stop there – national and local media outlets even shared follow-up success stories about how the first-of-its-kind fragrance sold out in a matter of minutes, even catching the attention of a nationwide retailer.
So, how did H5 make it happen?
It Started with a Consumer Insight
The idea was rooted in an emerging fragrance trend. Gourmand fragrances continue to grow in popularity, with vanilla, marshmallow and nostalgic comfort scents particularly desirable. Candy corn shares many of those same sensory cues while remaining an unmistakable symbol of fall. So, we asked ourselves: If consumers are embracing sweet scents, why not transform fall's most iconic treat into its most irresistible fragrance?
Creating a Fragrance That Smelled Exactly Like Candy Corn
Great ideas need great execution. While turning an iconic and beloved candy into a fragrance might sound quite simple; it is a complex process. Our team partnered with fragrance manufacturers and suppliers from southern France, the perfume capital of the world, to develop a scent profile that captured the candy corn experience as authentically as possible. We didn't want a perfume simply inspired by candy corn. We wanted it to smell exactly how candy corn tastes.
Timing Was Everything
Even a great idea can fail without the right launch strategy. Because candy corn is inherently tied to fall, the campaign’s timing was critical to its success. We aligned the first Ode to Candy Corn product release with the first day of fall, September 22, when consumers and media are actively seeking seasonal stories. To further extend momentum, we promoted a second drop of the fragrance timed to October 1, another key seasonal milestone. Both product releases were a huge hit with the Ode to Candy Corn fragrance selling out in under a minute. H5 also seeded fragrance samples to a curated group of influencers, generating excitement, social media buzz and organic influencer content highlighting the unexpected concept. The strategy created two distinct waves of media and social conversation, helping transform a limited-edition product launch into a much broader cultural conversation.
Why the Campaign Worked
At its core, Ode to Candy Corn was a viral sensation because it sat at the intersection of culture, timing and surprise. The campaign transformed an iconic, highly debated seasonal candy into a format that consumers were already embracing. By tapping into the gourmand fragrance trend, seasonal relevance and multiple launch moments, H5 created a cultural conversation that people wanted to join.