The Snowman and The Snowdog fly through real-life streets to deliver personalised Christmas messages from Thorntons

After typing in a friend's name, email address and the address the personalised message is to be delivered, the animated characters appear on screen and fly through the surrounding streets before landing in front of the recipient’s door. Both the user and their loved one can see the message being delivered.

Thorntons marketing director, Hannah Legg, explained the idea behind the app, saying: "This is the first year of our licence with The Snowman and The Snowdog and as well as launching a range of chocolate products based on the iconic characters, we also wanted to support the partnership across every customer touchpoint and create something really exciting for our fans. We hope this innovative, festive app will make our customers smile, as it will give them the chance to send thoughtful, personal messages to all of their friends and loved ones this Christmas.”

This is the first branded app to come from the company and will be promoted with a campaign, set to launch next week, comprising promotional animated videos, associated advertising and ongoing online social activity.