The newest way to send an affectionate message this Valentine’s Day comes with a social media twist: “Tweet Me.”

Twitter and Sweethearts candy unveiled plans last month to stamp Tweet Me on the familiar heart-shaped, fruity candy that has embraced short messages long before Twitter was in existence.

For Sweethhearts, the move accelerates recent commercial tie-ins for the 145-year-old brand. For Twitter, it’s a freebie public relations coup with serious mojo. For the nation’s marketers, it’s yet another savvy step into the virtual world and away from conventional advertising.

The odds of landing a Sweetheart candy that actually says “Tweet Me” are about 1 in 80. This is because there are 79 other phrases also being used this year.

“We’ve always been short and sweet,” says Jackie Hague, vice president of marketing at New England Confectionery, maker of the Sweethearts brand. “In this case, the technology merged with the ritual.”

Sweethearts has also launched an iPhone app that allows users to send virtual Sweethearts boxes with personalized messages that can appear on anyone’s Twitter page.

“Tweet Me” isn’t the first high-tech phrase to zoom to the top of Sweetheart’s popularity list. Past techno phrases have been used include “Fax Me” and “Email Me”.

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