For Lovers Of The Concise, Twitter Deal A Sweet Match

This Valentine's Day will see a romance blossom between two passionate lovers of brevity: The Sweetheart candy maker and Twitter.

A select few candy hearts will proclaim "Tweet Me."

The Twitter/Sweetheart project seemed almost predestined, executives with the candy company say, with Twitter transmitting billions of ever-so-brief 140-character messages across the globe, and Sweetheart limited to amorous overtures of eight characters.

Five on the top line, three on the bottom.

Messages like "Tweet Me" and "Text Me" emerged from the marketing research process that's also ever-so-hip in today's digital culture: A user-generated contest.

Sweetheart's parent company, the New England Confectionery Company (Necco) opened an online forum in May last year so heart-munchers could type out their own suggested messages. Twitter won out by a large margin.

But that's not all that's new.

For the first time in 145 years of making candy hearts, Necco has revamped its basic heart recipe.

New flavors reflect a more direct culture and a more discerning palate among Americans: raspberry, lemon, green apple and orange.

New colors are also more distinct: blue, orange, yellow and a brighter pink.

That's no small decision. Necco manufactures an average of 6 billion Sweethearts a year, with most sold during the six-week period before Valentine's Day.

But not everything can survive the relentless march of technology.

Like a Blu-ray player displacing the family VCR, new phrases like "Tweet Me" had to replace something in the candy heart lineup. (There's a limit of 80 messages)

This Valentine's Day will see the end of one iconic phrase whose time has passed: "Fax Me."

Richard Mullins is a reporter for the Tampa Tribune.