Winner: Hershey's and Hill & Knowlton
Campaign: Hershey's Kisses Walk the Red Carpet
The Mission:
With the help of Hill & Knowlton, the Hershey's communications team set out to organize a kick-off event in 2006 to create buzz around the 100th anniversary of Hershey's
Kisses in 2007. The anniversary campaign needed to build awareness that could be sustained throughout year, and to inform consumers of the company's commitment to charitable
giving.
The Hook:
If chocolate is an aphrodisiac, then celebrity gossip is an addiction. With this in mind, the communications team decided that the best way to announce the upcoming
anniversary would be a red carpet kick-off event at the 2006 Emmy Awards, where they could introduce the milestone and grab the attention of the media. However, unless you are a
master at crashing parties (or unless you happen to be Brad Pitt), getting red-carpet access isn't a piece of cake.
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend:
To get the anniversary celebration on the right track, the team conducted research to determine the following things: their target audience (mothers); the best way to reach
this audience (via celebrity news and televised events); and a mechanism for getting these celebrities on board to be conduits for the message (a charitable cause).
With this information in their arsenal, the team could then shape their strategy: Partner with the Clothes Off Our Back charity (which was popular among celebrities and
received consistent media coverage) and tap star designer Neil Lane to create a diamond-encrusted Hershey's Kisses brooch that would be worn by celebrity Samantha Harris on the
Emmy red carpet. After the event, the brooch would be auctioned off and 100% of the proceeds would go to charity.
A Happy Birthday, Indeed:
On a skinny $15,000 budget, the communications team was able to pin the anniversary celebration on a handful of news pegs: The red carpet debut of the brooch, the auction for
charity, the celebrity endorsements and the red carpet Emmy coverage. By getting the approval and subsequent support of influential groups - in this case, celebrities and a
celebrity designer - the team created a glitzy anniversary kick-off event at a minimal cost. The coverage poured in accordingly, with national print placements and prominent
online coverage. Plus, the diamond brooch fetched $10,000 for charity, and Hershey's Kisses are relishing their centennial birthday. One hundred never tasted so sweet. PRN