Sweetening Hershey’s Trade Media Presence
Summary
- Challenge: Trade media coverage focused mainly on product launches, missing Hershey’s broader innovation and packaging story
- Solution: Comprehensive media relations plan with exclusive executive interviews, press materials, and on-site support
- Results: 132 earned media mentions (+59% YoY) with stronger, more strategic coverage
Background
The Hershey Company is a global leader in confectionery and snacking, known for its iconic brands and ongoing product innovation.
Challenge
In prior years, most trade media coverage of Hershey at the Sweets & Snacks Expo focused almost exclusively on product launches. While these stories were valuable, they missed the broader narrative Hershey wanted to share around innovation and packaging strategy. After securing 86 earned media mentions in 2023 and 83 in 2024, the challenge for 2025 was not just quantity, but depth—communicating a more impactful story to reporters and industry audiences.
Top Objectives
- Showcase Hershey’s new products and packaging strategy within trade media.
- Increase the number of trade media coverage pieces by at least 10% compared to the 2024 Expo.
- Elevate the quality of media coverage to highlight broader business strategy, not just product launches.
Solution
PriceWeber partnered with Hershey’s Corporate Communications team to build and execute a comprehensive media relations strategy for the 2025 Expo. Our team scheduled key media meetings, developed press materials including a press release, product fact sheet, and photo library, and created a detailed briefing book with core messaging and talking points for Hershey representatives.
We also produced social media content for Hershey’s corporate channels to align with the Expo narrative. On-site, our team supported Hershey leadership in meetings with trade media, ensuring smooth execution. A key element of this year’s approach was offering exclusive one-on-one interviews with Hershey executives, which helped drive more meaningful and strategic coverage.
tactics Utilized
- Trade media relations and coordination
- Content development (press release, product fact sheet, photo library)
- Social media content creation
- Briefing book and media training materials
- On-site event and media support
Results
The 2025 Sweets & Snacks Expo was Hershey’s strongest year yet in terms of trade media engagement. Our efforts generated 132 earned media mentions (and counting) across online and print outlets—a 59% increase from the 83 mentions secured in 2024, far surpassing the original 10% growth goal.
Equally important, the quality of coverage improved significantly. By securing exclusive interviews with Hershey executives, we helped shift the narrative from basic product announcements to deeper stories about innovation, packaging strategy, and broader business objectives.
Performance Highlights
(2025 vs. 2024 Expo)
- Earned Media Mentions: 132 vs. 83 (+59%)
- Coverage Quality: Expanded from product announcements to strategic brand and innovation stories
- Exclusive Interviews: Secured with Hershey leadership, generating additional feature stories