Sustainable Marketing Strategies for Hershey Food Corporation

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Sustainable Marketing Strategies
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Sustainable Marketing Strategies 2
Company Overview
First and foremost, the report will provide Hershey Food Corporation overview before analyzing
its marketing mix. The Hershey Company is an American based company and among the
world’s largest chocolate manufacturers. Hershey’s portfolio has more than 80 global brands
cutting across the candy brands and its well-known chocolate. The company provides chocolate
and non-chocolate products to the target market (Berger, 2016, p. 50). Also, Hershey
manufactures grocery goods that comprise of cocoa mix, snack nuts, chocolate syrup, bubble
gum, cookies, and breath mints. The products manufactured by Hershey are distributed to
domestic wholesalers and retailers throughout America and surplus exported overseas. Other
main brands of Hershey are Kisses, Almond Joy, Reese's, Brookside, Cadbury, Jolly Rancher,
Good & Plenty of many other products (D'antonio, 2006, p. 4). This report is focused on four
companies namely: Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Mondelez, and Hershey that operate in the retail
industry. The report will narrow down to of these companies, Hershey marketing mix and
compare its SWOT against the three other competitors as highlighted above.
Hershey Marketing Mix
The analysis of Hershey marketing mix will involve a proper investigation of its primary
operations aimed at enhancing competitiveness, growth, and market sustainability. The
management of Hersey adopt the 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) of marketing in its
endeavor to enhance sustainable marketing strategies (David, 2011, p. 22). The report provides a
clear elaboration of Hershey pricing, promotional, advertising and distribution strategies that
help in broadening the market base as well as its competitiveness in the industry. The below is a
clear analysis of Hershey marketing mix:

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Product
Hershey is a brand by itself that provides its target customers with chocolates and other sweet
syrups and sauces. Hershey offers the market a variety of brands and products that are made
available in different sizes and shapes that suit different customers tastes and preferences. The
conical shape of Hershey's kisses together with its hand-rolled packaging of some key products
adds to customers appeal (Goi, 2009, p. 2). The management invests a lot in innovation by
providing the right technologies that enhance the creativity of new brands with respect to the
market demands. This increased and continuous innovation added to Hershey marketing mix has
assisted the company in maintaining growth and sustainability over the years. Today, Hershey is
strongly positioned in the market as a delicious and healthy product for all growing children. The
main products offered by Hershey include:
i. Candy: Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, and Allan Candy
ii. Chocolate: Hershey, Kit Kat, Take 5, Kisses, York, Reese’s, Mounds and Almond Joy
iii. Nuts & Caramel: Rolo, Lancaster, and Payday
iv. Mint & Gum: Bubble Yum, Ice Breakers, and Breath Savers.
v. Other products: Bliss, Mounds, Drops, Chocolate bars, Almond Joy, Symphony,
Nuggets, Extra Dark, 100 Calorie Bar, Pot of Gold, and Yok Peppermint Pattie among
many others.
Price
Being a premium brand, Hershey charges customers higher prices for its products as compared to
other standard chocolate brands available in the market. The company targets the upper and
middle-class urban market population as well as tourists from foreign countries. The premium

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prices charged on Hershey brand range from $10 to $5o depending on the size and shape of the
product. The management ensures that the prices do not keep on changing even at the times
when there are economic downturns and currency fluctuation rates in the market, the prices
remain balanced in order to maintain customers’ loyalty (Belz and Schmidt‐Riediger, 2010, p.
410). There have not been any price increases or hiking by the company on its products reported
recently. However, due to adverse economic conditions, Hershey has lowered product quantity
but with the same and even improved quality.
Place/ Distribution
Hershey has a global presence. The company is available in international markets and has
opened its grocery stores, wholesale clubs, drug stores, departmental stores, malls, vending
machines, gas stations, and hospitals in the global markets. The company has employed over
13,000 employees worldwide where its markets its Hershey products in over 50 different
countries around the globe (Kizil et al., 2013, p. 97). Hershey products are manufactures in 17
nations whereby it has 16 manufacturing facilities in which 12 are wholly owned by the
company. Hershey has invested in new technologies whereby e-commerce is practiced. The
customers of the company are able to buy its products online from eBay, Amazon, Alibaba, and
Big basket among many other e-commerce businesses (Gordon, 2012, p. 124). Hersey enjoys
quality product distribution from their premises to their target market. Hershey is among the
companies that own an excellent distribution network that enable the company to transport its
products across the borders and in the global marketplace. All major towns and cities in the
countries that Hershey operates are covered by its strong distribution channels.
Promotion