• Ad Age, Monday, March 13, 2006 11:45 AM

Like many marketers, Hershey Corp. is looking at alternative media to promote a product that previously relied almost exclusively on TV advertising. When the company's Take Five candy bar was introduced last year, it was supported by a $17 million TV ad campaign. But this week, a new effort begins that includes a multimedia approach encompassing online advertising as well as 69,000 buzz-marketing evangelists. Jay Cooper, vice president-U.S. Chocolate at Hershey, said the "360-degree" campaign is part of Hershey's more concerted effort to "understand who our consumers are and reach them in more relevant, compelling ways, not just one platform." The campaign does not abandon TV advertising completely, but uses it in a different way. The TV portion includes six 15-second spots humorously depicting how far consumers might go to get a Take 5 bar. Ads will also run on AOL, tickle.com and espn.com, as well as in movie theaters, where Hershey will also do extensive sampling. "We know from research that there is a lot of passion around the brand and we want to reach consumers at those different passion points, whether on the Web, in movie theaters or with PR programs and contests," said Misha Jenkins, marketing manager for Take 5 at Hershey.

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