Hershey's Listens to S'more Country

Hershey Co. has booked country music band Rascal Flatts to front the candy maker's annual campaign promoting summertime food staple S'mores.The "S'mores Rocks Your Block" instant-win game presents the grand-prize winner with a private block party for 100 people featuring the band (or $25,000). Secondary prizes include five trips to attend a Rascal Flatts concert and 10 $2,500 Visa gift cards; 100,000 other entrants receive a free song download. Entry is online from May 1 to Sept. 30 with a UPC from Hershey's chocolate packages.Dedicated pallet displays direct consumers to enter on a promotional website that also features S'mores recipes, which combine Hershey's chocolate with graham crackers and marshmallows in a concoction that has become a summer campfire staple.Hershey's is a co-sponsor of Rascal Flatts' "American Living" tour, which hits 25 cities from June through October, and will host events from a branded trailer at each venue. The band also appears in a Hershey's TV spot running through August.The candy maker hosted similar promotions with country artist Brad Paisley in 2007 and 2008. It also annually joins with Kraft Foods' Jet-Puffed Marshmallows and Honey Maid Grahams to stage cross-merchandising rebate offers backed by multi-brand P-O-P materials. (See Related Articles.)This summer, Hershey's and Kraft host the "S'mores Truly Yours" contest, asking consumers to submit photos of family and friends "enjoying a S'mores treat" to a dedicated website. The grand-prize winner (selected by a judge) gets $20,000 to be used for a backyard makeover. A corresponding instant-win game awards 100 digital cameras, 100 portable grills, and 100 S'mores kits with coupons for free product. Introduced with an FSI drop on May 17 (see Related Articles), the promotion runs May 11 to Sept. 14.In account-specific activity, Walmart featured Hershey's, Honey Maid and Jet-Puffed together in its May 17 "American Summer" circular under the headline, "Everyone wants more S'mores." Walgreens offered free Jet-Puffed Marshmallows with purchase of the other two ingredients, while rival CVS/pharmacy featured a beauty shot of S'mores alongside price promotions for Hershey's chocolate and private label graham crackers and marshmallows.

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