Case study: personalised chocolate packaging for the #HerForShe campaign - HP Indigo for Hershey
Preparing attractive packaging for fast-movingconsumer goods is one of the biggest challenges for designers. Check out how higher sales were achieved by Hershey's thanks to changing its packaging.
Hershey's American chocolate - about the product
Milton Hershey was a confectioner who started his business in 1886. He did not produce his first chocolate until 14 years later. At the time, it was a product that only wealthy Americans could afford. Hershey strove to make the product popular with the general public.
Hershey's expansion has brought the expected result - today it is one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the US and the world. In addition to its classic flavours, it also offers low-calorie, organic, and lactose-free variants.
Challenges
For years, Hershey's has honoured the business ethic that its founder introduced. We are talking about looking for opportunities to promote the values that are important to it. But how to do this really effectively?
in 2020, with Women's Day approaching, brand representatives considered how to create an advertising campaign that was more than just a seasonal promotion for Hershey's chocolate. It was crucial to address the values with which potential customers identify. Is it possible to deliver a campaign with the slogan 'Invisible Women Visible' with just a chocolate label?
The solution - personalisedchocolate packaging
In 2020, Hershey's partnered with Brazilian advertising agency BETC HAVAS. Well-known illustrators such as Caroline Barbosa Ramos, Marcela Scheid and Mariê Balbinot were immediately invited to join the project.
Hershey's promotional project for Women's Day #HerForShe involved designing and producing one-of-a-kind designs for the chocolate packaging. The limited edition epitomising the idea of making invisible women visible was to tell the unique stories of successful women in various disciplines. Soon 320,000 unique chocolate packs were on the market. They were printed using HP Indigo 20000 technology and telling visual stories of female athletes, women scientists, activists, businesswomen and artists.
Hershey's US chocolate campaign inspired millions of users. Shortly after the product's release, customers began sharing images and advertising messages on their social media profiles, significantly increasing the brand's reach.
The success determined the continuation of the collaboration and the campaign has been repeated in recent years, with new elements added. QR codes appeared on the packaging, the scanning of which allows customers to learn more about the stories of extraordinary women.
Hershey chocolate advertising campaign - results
Back in 2020, when the first packs of Hershey's American chocolate were printed in HP Indigo 20000 technology as part of the #HerforShe campaign, the creators of the project must have sensed that they had just created something special. They did not have to wait long for the results.
The limited edition included 320,000 Hershey's chocolate bars - the design of each carried a story that inspired women. Today, brands dream of making such an impact on their target groups. The campaign generated huge activity among customers. Internet users started posting pictures of the chocolate bars in their original packaging on social media.
Hershey's achieved the desired results. The chocolate packs contained more than just delicious sweetness. They became a vehicle for values that were important to customers.
The Hershey's brand not only increased its profits, but also showed other businesses how the right investment in advertising can help them succeed (image-wise and financially). Even HP, the company co-directing the project, found it an interesting example of the use of story telling in marketing and created a video to describe the details.
Check out projects from Unilogo portfolio.
HP Indigo technology
HP has opened the eyes of many businesses by showing them the true potential of carefully designed high-quality packaging. Small packaging can communicate an important message.
HP Indigo technology provides many benefits. It allows to print low to medium runs in just a few working days. Printing can be carried out on a variety of surfaces and with many label enhancements.
Reducing the environmental impact of companies is increasingly important to consumers. HP Indigo printing technology is more environmentally friendly than classic solutions. You can produce labels without emitting toxic gases or waste.
Not sure if your artwork will look good on your packaging? We offer free test prints at our digital label printer. We would be happy to prepare such a test label print for you!
* Source of the photos: https://press.hp.com/
