Hershey Kit Kat

The Challenge

When we started working with Hershey, they already had a strong portfolio of cause marketing programs and wanted to build a new program around Black Music Month. They had an idea to extend their platform to the communities in Tennessee, where their manufacturing plant employed hundreds of community members.

With projects like this, we encourage our clients who want to launch DEI campaigns to rethink an approach for momentary impact on sales by considering embodying DEI values as a permanent fixture in their marketing approaches—caring about affected communities and the faces that come from there and still reside there. Hershey was already practicing this philosophy making our job a little easier! 

Our challenge was to develop a campaign that was authentic and supported black communities without Hershey being seen as taking advantage of the cause simply for monetary purposes. We did some light consumer research and found that Hershey was seen as neutral or not seen as a firm supporter of BIPOC communities. Even with DEI programs in place at the corporate level and programs that help youth. Knowing this we needed to ensure that whatever the program was it connected to communities AND supported black people throughout the process.

The Solution

The concept we landed on provided a unique opportunity for Hershey to contribute to local organizations AND support black illustrators. We proposed limited edition packaging using black illustrators and a charitable donation to an organization that supports youth through music. 

The initial test program honed in on working with one organization, Memphis Music Initiative, a Memphis Tennessee non-profit that provides music programming and support for local youth. The program was a great success during its limited trial in Target stores in 2022 and was further expanded for 2023.

What began as a six illustration, one organization program launched in select Target stores is now a national program with six cities, six organizations, and a growing number of retailers with a total $13M buy-in. Some participating retailers include CVS, Kroger, Meijer, Rite Aid, Target, Walmart, Stop N Shop, Walmart, and 7-Eleven.

Finally, discovering and working with the illustrators and seeing the growth in their careers has been a fulfilling experience. We’re proud to support these strong artists and look forward to future programs that elevate and focus on the foundational roots of music in this country.