Spangler's VP of Marketing reveals how owning beloved brands with decades of history becomes a moat against competitors. The playbook works for any business sitting on customer loyalty.
Spangler, the sweets maker behind Dum Dums and Sweethearts, didn't become a market force by inventing candy. It became one by owning brands with storied histories. According to Marketing Dive, VP of Marketing Evan Brock confirmed the company has carved out a niche by collecting candy brands with deep customer roots, turning emotional loyalty into a defensible business model.
A customer who grew up with Dum Dums doesn't buy Dum Dums because the flavor is objectively superior. They buy it because it's wired into their childhood. That emotional connection is a moat a new competitor cannot replicate in five years, or fifty. Spangler's strategy recognizes this: own multiple brands with historical weight, and you own multiple entry points into customer loyalty.
This works for any category. A hardware distributor with three regional brands acquired over time can cross-sell and deepen customer lifetime value. A food service company owning both a premium and value-tier brand can serve different occasions and price points without internal conflict. The key is that each brand retains its identity while the portfolio generates cumulative shelf presence and mind share.
Spangler's collection approach creates what investors call a 'moat': a structural advantage hard for competitors to overcome. A scrappy startup can launch a better candy. It cannot launch a candy with fifty years of childhood memories attached. By owning Dum Dums, Sweethearts, and other heritage brands, Spangler concentrates customer wallet share, retail shelf space, and marketing efficiency in one company.
If you operate in a mature market (consumer goods, food service, distribution, manufacturing), competing purely on features or price is a losing game against established players. The move is to identify brands or sub-brands in your portfolio or market that carry emotional weight, then invest in owning more of them or deepening customer loyalty to the ones you have.
Spangler's model shows that consolidation and heritage stewardship can be a growth engine. The company isn't chasing trends; it's collecting moats.
Spangler has carved out a niche in the candy space with a collection of brands with storied histories.
Marketing Dive, July 21, 2026
How WebKing runs this
We help manufacturers and ecommerce owners audit and amplify the nostalgia angle in their existing brands, then stack acquisition or partnership strategy to own multiple lanes in the same category.
According to Marketing Dive, Spangler has carved out a niche by collecting brands with storied histories. This means they own multiple emotional touchpoints: a customer loyal to Dum Dums becomes aware of Sweethearts, and vice versa, concentrating wallet share and shelf presence in one company.
Not on the same playing field. Nostalgia is built over decades; it's not a feature you can copy in a year. Newer brands compete by targeting a different emotion (innovation, health, sustainability) or by acquiring heritage brands themselves, as Spangler has done.
The article indicates Spangler maintains distinct identities for each brand while leveraging their shared heritage portfolio. This allows different brands to own different occasions and customer segments without direct cannibalization.
Spangler's multi-decade success with heritage brands like Dum Dums and Sweethearts shows nostalgia is a durable moat, not a fad. As long as customers have childhood memories of a product, emotional loyalty persists.
Sources
The Lab is original analysis by WebKing. We summarize and interpret developments from the sources above for industrial, commercial, and small business owners. Figures are reported as published by their sources.
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