Hershey’s Didn’t Advertise For The First 70 Years Of Its Existence
It was so universal it didn’t need to.
When you think of chocolate, the first company you think about is Hershey’s. But Hershey’s didn’t always advertise — in fact, in the first 70 years of its existence, it didn’t need to.
You’re the God of a market when you dominate that much of market share and don’t need to advertise at all. That’s the position Hershey’s was in until 1969, when Mars and M&M came up as very serious competition.
“Hershey’s isn’t serious. They don’t advertise. They never have,” Don Draper said about Hershey’s in Mad Men.
Hershey’s was a brand of chocolate so universal and iconic that it didn’t need to be advertised, but that didn’t mean it didn’t market. It still reached out to supermarkets and cared for its distribution. The Mad Men scene and pitch about Hershey’s was one of the most important in the show, and Hershey’s actually was flattered by being included in the pitch.
Anna Lingeris, the senior manager of brand P.R. and consumer engagement at Hershey’s, said she had no idea how the brand would be represented in the season finale.
“Oftentimes, companies will call and ask us to donate product across the board for potential inclusion,” Lingeris explained…
