Lindt Gold Bunny and Autism Speaks

Lindt USA and Cone worked together to execute an engaging
Easter program, one of Lindt’s key selling seasons. Through this initiative, Lindt extended a cause-related partnership with Autism Speaks during the Easter season for the third year. The partnership aimed to provide support to families affected by autism leading up to Easter and during the month of April, National Autism Awareness Month. Lindt supported the nonprofit through a $100,000 donation from sales of the iconic Lindt Gold Bunny, a program recognizing unsung heroes within the autism community, as well as an auction of celebrity autographed Lindt Gold Bunnies, with 100 percent of proceeds benefitting the non-profit.

To kick-off the Easter program and launch the Lindt Gold Bunny Auction, Cone partnered with Grammy-award winning singer and mother of a son with Autism, Toni Braxton. Braxton officially opened bids for the auction of nearly 100 celebrity signed porcelain bunnies at a launch event in New York. The event was followed by a celebratory luncheon honoring three Lindt Unsung Heroes of Autism, identified through a national search. Cone conducted aggressive media relations through effective positioning of Lindt’s partnership with Autism Speaks and the hero product of the season, Lindt Gold Bunny. The Cone team outreached to target broadcast, long- and short-lead print publications, online media, and influential bloggers.

Media outreach and other integrated marketing strategies resulted in:

• Print: 19 placements; 43,008,060 impressions
• Television: 11 placements; 10,862,940 impressions
• Traditional Online: 44 placements; 36,220,250 impressions
• Consumer Generated Media: 95 placements; 6,845,691 impressions
• More than 1,060 total placements
• More than 118 million total impressions
• 25% increase over 2010 Easter program impressions