Relationships Matter

Hershey’s has a bright future, not only for its product, but with forming positive relationships. Milton Hershey left his entire fortune of $60 million to be used toward improving the lives of children at the Milton Hershey School. Each week, a guest speaker from the Hershey’s Company goes to the school to teach the business students about their careers and what they do at their job. This gives the students a real-life perspective of what Fortune 500 companies are all about.

“The power is in your hands. Are you going to work hard to show that people should invest in you…” said Kayvon Asemani, who attends Milton Hershey School.  Asemani mentioned that this class is his favorite one because he is able to get a first-hand experience of what the business field is like. The Hershey’s Company takes pride in being able to educate the students about what it takes to be part of a successful company. In 2013, the Association for Career and Technical Education named this program as the “Outstanding Business/Education Partnership” in Pennsylvania. Because the business world now focuses so heavily on forming relationships, Hershey’s definitely has a bright future with this program.

Product is still important however, and Hershey’s is doing well in that aspect too. From 2012 to 2013, the company’s net sales increased 9.3 percent. The executives of the company believe Hershey’s is on its way to breaking the $10 billion mark in the coming years. The CEO of the company, J.P. Bilbrey, is also working to expand the product’s distribution. Overall, Hershey’s has a bright future from both a relationship and product standpoint. Therefore, if the company continues with what they are currently doing, a bright future is expected.

Information and Photo Links:

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/04/hershey_co_sees_strong_growth.html

http://www.thehersheycompany.com/social-responsibility/shared-goodness/brightfuture (Got photos from the video, as well as information)

Hershey’s Engaged in Slave Labor Practices

With over $6 billion in annual revenues and more than 80 brands, Hershey’s is the largest chocolate company in North America. Although it may seem like there isn’t a thing wrong with the delicious pieces of candy, the way they are being made is quite upsetting. Concerns have been brought up over the last couple years that the Hershey’s company is dealing with child labor practices. About 70% of the world’s cocoa-bean production is grown in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. It’s in these two areas where there is suspicion of children being harmed in the process of the candy making.

A 2013 article states that a Delaware court dismissed the claim that Hershey’s was engaged in illegal child labor to harvest cocoa beans. One of Hershey’s shareholders sent a letter in October of 2012 that demanded Hershey’s records and books be inspected on the idea that child labor was an issue in the cocoa farms of West Africa. Hershey’s refused to allow the inspection, and then another company filed a lawsuit saying that Hershey’s broke its agreement of refusing to rely on children to work in the fields.

In 2013, Hershey pledged that by 2020, it would use cocoa suppliers with authorized labor practices. However, although Hershey’s made this statement about ending the illegal slave labor practices, there is nothing forcing them to actually keep their word. Because Hershey’s has failed to convince other agencies that they truly aren’t involved in slave labor practices, they will always be on watch. To avoid even more ridicule in the future, the Hershey’s company will have to work much harder than other companies to keep a fairly positive image. Large companies should really pay more attention to the human rights responsibilities and issues to prevent big controversies like this in the future.

Information Links

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/legal/2013/09/02/Court-dismisses-child-labor-claims-against-Hershey/stories/201309020161

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-18/hershey-judge-says-shareholders-can-seek-child-labor-files-1-.html

http://fortune.com/2012/11/16/chocolate-and-child-labor-a-hurdle-for-hershey/

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/10/18/child-labor-concerns-hershey-supply-chain

Photo Link:

http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2012/10/the-inconvenient-truth-about-your.html

I “like” Hershey’s! Do you?

Who doesn’t love the sight of chocolate? Who hasn’t spent countless minutes, or maybe even hours, scrolling through their social media sites? Hershey’s, like many other candy companies, gets a lot of attention on social media due to their products being a craving for people all over the world.

Because their products are so well known, the company has multiple Facebook pages. Millions of people “like” the “Hershey’s” and “Hershey’s Kisses” Facebook pages, and “Hershey’s Kitchens” has over 70,000 “likes.” Hershey’s strategy of having more than one Facebook page works best for them so they aren’t posting so much that they annoy their fans who “like” the page. To keep their viewers interested they post simple, fun pictures of their products with a short caption, and the viewers give their input with their likes and comments below.

Posted October 15, 2014 (near Halloween); 70,853 likes; 4,772 shares; 705 comments

Posted on August 15, 2014; 5,648 likes; 307 shares; 65 comments

Hershey’s has been working with r2i, a company dedicated to providing their clients with solutions to connect with their fans in the best way possible. Through a specific social campaign that Hershey’s was working on with r2i, Facebook was the main channel for social media. Twitter is not nearly as successful as Facebook.

The Hershey’s Kisses account tweets once every few days and even more frequently when special events and holidays come up. In the past month or so, even with Halloween having occurred, there are only up to 60 favorites and roughly 35 retweets on a single tweet. Some posts only received half that many favorites and retweets.

With that being said, Hershey’s strategy of having multiple Facebook accounts is the most effective route for their company.

Content Links:

http://www.r2integrated.com/hersheys-chocolate-world

https://www.facebook.com/HERSHEYS

https://twitter.com/chocolateworld

http://adage.com/article/media/media-advertising-strategy-m-m-s-hershey-s-kisses/140002/

Photo links:

https://www.facebook.com/HERSHEYS/photos/pb.108381603303.-2207520000.1415159783./10152718509438304/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/HERSHEYS/photos/pb.108381603303.-2207520000.1415226995./10152874445953304/?type=1&theater

Pure Simplicity. Pure Happiness. Pure Delicious.

What chocolate bar are you craving right now?

Hershey’s chocolate has come a long way since it first began in 1900 with the Hershey’s milk chocolate coated caramel. Through the years, the Hershey’s Company has exploded with a number of tasty chocolates to choose from. The next big step after the creation of the milk chocolate Hershey’s Bar was the Hershey’s Kisses in 1907, followed by the Almond Bar in 1908. Now there are several options, including Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, the Krackel Bar, Hershey’s Cocoa, and the Cookies ‘n’ Crème Bar. Numerous options are available, and it’s up to you to decide which Hershey’s product will melt in your mouth and keep you wanting more.

To get the attention of the target group of people who eat Hershey’s products (18-34 year olds), Hershey’s sent out their first 15 and 30 second advertisements. One of the advertisements begins with the viewer delving into a chocolate bar and seeing a girl swinging. This scene then changes into another scene of the girl with her boyfriend riding in a chocolate convertible with chocolate bunnies hopping behind them. A female voiceover is then heard saying, “What makes a Hershey’s Bar pure? Pure simplicity, pure happiness, pure delicious.” This is a perfect scene in the mind of many girls, and therefore the ad caught the eye of many of its viewers. With the help of that ad campaign, sales went up five percent in a year.

This ad worked because as it stated in the article I read, Hershey’s was focusing more on the emotions that come with people who are eating the chocolate, rather than the delicious ingredients in the chocolate. The ad had an emotional appeal to get the viewer’s attention. No matter what kind of Hershey’s product you are eating, after seeing the ad, you will relate it with simplicity, happiness, and deliciousness.

Citations

Beirne, M. (2008, August 11). Arnold Launches ‘Hershey’s Pure’ Campaign. Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/arnold-launches-hersheys-pure-campaign-96533

Discover HERSHEY’S History. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://www.hersheys.com/our-story.aspx#/timeline/1909

Hershey’s. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://www.thehersheycompany.com/brands/iconic-brands.aspx#/Hershey’s

Rake, H. (2009, January 8). Ad Liberally. Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://adliberally.blogspot.com/2009/01/pure-delicious.html

The Taste You Can’t Deny

Hershey’s chocolate has always been a top choice when making the decision as to what kind of sweet I want to binge on. For women especially, Hershey’s products have been a craving at some point in our lives. I’m interested in learning what it is exactly that makes Hershey’s chocolate so popular. I know there are other chocolates out there, but what makes Hershey’s stand out among the rest?

The first item of business I came across was learning that the man behind this sweet treat is Milton Hershey. Although he clearly became a very wealthy business man, he did not have the formal education one would expect him to have had given his great success. His success began when he decided he wanted to put a chocolate coating on his caramel. After he realized how tasty his newfound treat was, he started his business. Just over a decade later, with the help from a few local farmers, his factory began producing milk chocolate.

Because Milton Hershey didn’t get the education that he wanted, he and his wife founded the Hershey Industrial School. In 1918, He gave his ownership of the Hershey Chocolate Company to that school. He wanted to be able to give to others and make them happy, and by founding the Hershey Industrial School, handing over his ownership, and creating delicious treats, he did just that. Therefore, that’s what the Hershey’s Company values: Making people happy.

Years later, during World War II, Hershey’s made over one billion ration bars for the troops. Today, the company continues to make people happy by creating new kinds of chocolate treats for everyone to enjoy.

Works Cited

“Discover HERSHEY’S History.” Hersheys.com. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. <http://www.hersheys.com/our-story.aspx#/The-Man&gt;.

Reese, Leslie. “Favorite Things.” Leslie Reese. 9 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://lesliereese.com/favorite-things-10/&gt;.

http://www.hersheys.com/our-story.aspx#/The-Man

http://lesliereese.com/favorite-things-10/