Russell Stover Chocolates and Cutwater launch rebrand campaign

Positioning Russell Stover as a gifting company, Cutwater aims to make the brand the chocolatier that consumers go to for any and every occasion.

At the heart of the new campaign called Make happy is a celebration of the joy of gifting and the feelings of happiness that come with bestowing a gift of Russell Stover chocolates to a friend or loved one. To bring this theme to life, Russell Stover and Cutwater developed an authentic narrative around gifting that could be told through paid, earned and social media channels. The centerpiece of the Make happy campaign is a national broadcast ad titled Hugs, which follows a series of stories of anticipation, moments of giving and the delivery of a heartwarming reward of a smile or a hug.

The film features an original song written and performed by Roc Nation artist and soulful storyteller Victory Boyd. The track – I Wanna Make You Happy – plays throughout the 30-second spot depicting various gifting moments American consumers experience every day. Tying brand elements together across various formats, the Russell Stover signature copper bow is prominently displayed throughout, symbolizing chocolate’s unique gift of bringing people together.

Russell Stover – #MakeHappy

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Agency Cutwater/San Francisco
Production Company Pulse Films/USA
Director Michael Haussman

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Credits

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Agency Cutwater/San Francisco
Production Company Pulse Films/USA
Director Michael Haussman
Chief Creative Officer Chuck McBride
Co-Founder Christian Hughes
HP Michael Huntley
Art Director Cullen Newsome
Associate Creative Director Toby Petersen

Copywriter Hannah Sanderson
Head of Production Jennifer Ingalls-Baughman
Executive Producer Cecile Leroy Beaulieu
Executive Producer Darren Foldes
DP Paolo Caimi
Colorist Beau Leon
Audio Post Andy Greenberg
Producer Jaylen Block-Smith

Production Designer Francesca Di Mottola

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In addition to the television spot, which includes multiple broadcast iterations along with social media, Cutwater created a behind the scenes video that shows the song making process and highlights up-and-coming artist Victory Boyd.

“I made a song that feels as sweet as Russell Stover chocolate tastes. This is a perfect collaboration!” - Victory Boyd, Artist

“Russell Stover is proud to carry on the tradition of crafting chocolates to create simple moments of joy that make life sweeter in today’s world,” said Mark Riegel, Vice President of Marketing for Russell Stover. “With this new creative campaign and our partnership with the very talented singer and songwriter Victory Boyd, we are excited to elevate our brand’s cultural relevance and continue to promote ‘Make happy.™’ moments while spreading the joy of gifting.”

“We all know and love the Russell Stover brand so it was important to us to refresh it for today’s consumer base but also stay true to its core purpose,” said Chuck McBride, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Cutwater. “We came up with this idea of showcasing the journey of the gifter because the gifter is the person who is making happy; who is making life sweeter with those little acts of generosity.”