Red Vines launches contest allowing fans to name new mascot

The move, meant to celebrate National Licorice Day, also allows fans to win free candy for a year.

American Licorice Mascot, which is the outline of a person wearing a hat made out of licorice string.

American Licorice is launching a new mascot, and it's asking fans to help choose the name. The image above is paired with a voting form on the company's home page.

Red Vines is launching a new brand mascot and it’s holding a contest to let fans choose its name.

The contest, which also helps to celebrate National Licorice Day, also will reward one fan with free candy for an entire year.

Starting April 4 and running through National Licorice Day on April 12, participants can submit their vote to name the new Red Vines mascot via American Licorice Company social pages or by logging onto the Red Vines landing page.

The top five suggestions will go live for voting on the Red Vines landing page from April 22-30, and every participant will receive a 25 percent discount in return for voting on the website.

Then, on May 6, the Red Vines team will hand-select the most creative submission for the brand’s new mascot, and the fan who submitted it will receive free candy for a year.

"There are few things more exciting than seeing the creativity of our loyal candy fans," said Kristi Shafer, VP of marketing for American Licorice Company. "While Red Vines has been around for over 100 years, we're always looking for innovative ways to celebrate, and National Licorice Day couldn't be more perfect!"

As part of the National Licorice Day celebrations, candy lovers also can look forward to limited-edition merchandise on the Red Vines landing page and a complimentary 5-oz. tray of Red Vines with all American Licorice Company website orders placed in April.

To learn more about the contest and enter for a chance to win, please visit http://www.redvines.com/NLD for campaign rules and details.

Crystal Lindell, Former editor-in-chief of Candy Industry Magazine. While here she has worked on Candy Industry Magazine, Food Engineering Magazine and Food Safety Strategies. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois – Springfield and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Western Illinois University. And her favorite breakfast is a cup of espresso and Twix bar.