In order for a company to be profitable and succeed in a capitalist structure, it needs to offer value to the customer. Sometimes, that value is simply an exchange of a product in order to satisfy a need: for example, when picking a waste disposal company. Other times, value is created through a deeper relationship with the consumer. Usually, this situation refers more to situations where a want is satisfied. This deeper relationship is what explains why a customer chose to purchase a Hershey’s candy bar over a Mondelez candy bar. Some companies, such as Hershey’s, go to great lengths to forge this relationship.
In the case of Hershey’s, the company created an amusement park in the city where the first Hershey’s factory was located. Through this amusement park, the chocolate company is hoping to promote positive experiences in order to have those experiences transfer to the brand. To gain the confidence of small children, the complex offers a free tour of the “factory” teaching children about how chocolate is made at Hershey’s through animated cow figures and the like. For teenagers, the complex offers an amusement park where the adolescents can experience euphoria through adrenaline-inducing rides. Finally, for the parents, the museum offers information about all of the sustainable and positive practices that set the company apart from the competition. Essentially, Hershey’s attempts to provide all visitors with a positive experience in order to promote a positive relationship with the brand.
Hershey’s also cleverly attempts to leverage associative reference groups through its insistence on the use of social media. Throughout the museum, visitors are invited to post their pictures of their experience using the hashtag #ChocolateWorld. This allows for the company to pick the best ones to display at the end of the museum tour. Essentially, the company is saying: Look! These people had fun so so should you! …Also, you should post about the amount of fun that you are having so that you can be featured on this wall for others to see. This tactic works on several levels. First, everyone wants people to see their picture; that’s the reason why people are constantly posting on social media. Secondly, by posting the picture of you having fun, you are showing your network that you are an interesting person, which scores you prestige in that social circle. Finally, even if you didn’t have fun, by seeing other people’s positive experiences, you can convince yourself that you also had fun due to cognitive dissonance theory. This can effect can be amplified by the act of you posting about your great experience, which follows the logic of a lie told one thousand times becomes the truth.
To further increase the emotional attachment to the Hershey brand, the museum is full of photo ops with the adorable main characters: Kisses, Reese’s cup and Hershey’s milk chocolate bar. By anthropomorphising these candies and showing them in a pleasant demeanor, visitors feel like they have made new friends as a result of this visit, thus augmenting the relationship.
Are there other companies that you can think of that have similar marketing tactics? If so, which ones?