Win Cash for Gas by Buying PayDay and Skor Bars

Wow...big news week for Hershey. At least this news is specifically around two of our favorite Hershey bars - PayDay Barsand Skor Bars- and can help us out at the gas pump.

Hershey just kicked off the promotion, called "Cash 4 Gas" - where specially marked packaging for PayDays and Skors will offer consumers chances to win a variety of gas-related prizes. There are 50 grand prizes of cash for gas, including one year of gas valued at $2,340 and the less exciting but still appreciated $45 cash toward a tank of gas. All in all the promo will give away more than $360,000.

The promotion runs through December.

From Marketing Daily

Hershey goes on the offensive to combat Mars / Wrigley merger

Hershey says its planning to spend more to promote its brands to better compete for candy buyers' when Mars buys Wrigley. More specifically, they'll up advertising spending by 20% in 2008 and 2009. In addition, they're also making changes to their supply chain and marketing to combat rising costs for cocoa, energy and milk, and losses of sales to Mars.

From Chicago Tribune and Forbes

Hershey Hunkers Down, Focuses on Hershey Bars & Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

"Hershey cut its long-term earnings growth target on Tuesday and laid out a strategic plan to boost its biggest brands in the United States with more advertising and tighten development of new products."

Said another way, this means Hershey is going to focus on what they're best at...chocolate bars...instead of all the other cookies and various line extensions. Smart move if you ask us.

"David West, who was promoted to chief executive from chief financial officer last year, acknowledged that attempts to move into areas like cookies and snack bars hurt its mainstay products like Hershey bars and Reese's peanut butter cups."

From STV

Its Batman vs. Indy for Summer Movie Candy Tie-ins

Let no summer blockbuster be without a candy partner. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" has M&M/Mars. Now, the Hershey Company has the Batman sequel, "The Dark Knight." Later this month, Hershey will be offering special editions of its Reese's peanut butter cups, Reese's Pieces and Kit Kat candy bars to tie in with the movie.

via MarketingDaily and Mars corporate.

M&M's Indiana Jones Ad Tops 10 Most-Liked, Most-Recalled TV Spots

M&M's Mint Crisp ad, part of a cross-promotion for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, topped the 10 most-liked new TV ads between April 21 and May 18, according to Nielsen.

Click here to watch the ad

From MarketingVOX

Candy companies hoping "functional" health benefits help business

Candy companies are betting that the trend toward healthy foods will extend to their confections - Cadbury, Wrigley and Mars are all launching new gums and candies this summer designed to provide health benefits. The "functional" candy category has grown in 2006, up nearly 2% to $1.5 billion.

For Cadbury - a new gum line called Trident Xtra Care. Its made with recaldent, a form of calcium derived from milk that has been shown to strengthen tooth enamel by filling in crevices where cavities can form. FYI - recaldent is already being used in Trident White (also from Cadbury), but Xtra Care will 2x as much.

For Wrigley - a new line of its Eclipse gum and mints formulated with magnolia bark extract (MBE), a substance that is supposed to help bad breath.

For Mars - two new lines of vitamin-enriched Dove chocolates earlier this year - Dove Vitalize (with vitamin B and plant sterols) and Dove Beautiful (with vitamins C and E, biotin and zinc).

From CNNMoney.com

Mentos Gum Bursts in the U.S.

Mentos Gum - is Perfetti Van Melle USA's second attempt in five years to crack the U.S. gum market - and they're going to spend $41 million this year to do it (Wrigley & Adams typically spend about $35 million for a new product introduction). Perhaps they are still stinging after discontinuing their last attempt, Mentos NewCharge. The gum will come in Spearmint, Red Fruit and Peppermint flavors.

Look for the ads to show up on Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and "American Top 40" with Ryan Seacrest - showcasing the tagline "New Mentos gum. It's Mouthwatering."

From BRANDWEEK

Man tries to buy M&Ms with pot; Fake Hershey's "Pot" Candy

When you gotta have your M&Ms, you gotta have your M&Ms...from the Chicago Tribune:

A New Zealand man who offered to pay with marijuana when he did not have enough money for a snack was caught by a police officer who overheard his unusual proposal, a news report said Tuesday.

Wade Churchward, 28, went to a service station on March 22 in the capital, Wellington, where he picked up two packets of M&M's candy and some potato chips, the Dominion Post newspaper reported.

But when he reached the cashier, he realized he didn't have enough money and instead offered a container with 0.042 ounces of marijuana and a pipe for smoking it, the report said.

Churchward failed to notice a patrol car outside and a police officer standing behind him in line -- who promptly arrested him.

Which brings us to an older story I stumbled upon in looking into the story above from ABC News - fake Hershey's candy with a definitive marijuana theme.

No surprise, Hershey is suing the California marijuana dealer who did this, for ripping off the company's name and using it to sell marijuana-laced knockoffs. Our favorite? Tough call, but we're going with Keef-Kat.

Hershey's Bliss Joins The Experiential Party

Hershey's is making sure they're leveraging word-of-mouth marketing by making themed house parties the centerpiece for its kickoff of its new Hershey's Bliss chocolate line.

The "Taste of Bliss" parties mesh naturally with the brand's message and female target audience, says Hershey Director of Product Publicity Jody Cook. Rather than being touted as an end-of-day reward or escape, Bliss is positioned as a part of "celebrating and appreciating the everyday joys of life"--and for many women, time with family and friends is high up on the list of those joys, Cook points out.

In addition to samples of the three Bliss varieties, hosts received goodie bags for attendees. Those interested in having a party where attendees created their own "Blissful Memories Scrapbooks" could access downloads of scrapbooking supplies. Other hosts chose to use a "Bliss or That" trivia game theme.

The 10,000 Bliss parties held over the weekend of April 25, just as the chocolates were hitting store shelves, drew more than 129,000 attendees and resulted in postings of over 22,000 digital photos and 15,000 blog entries.

From Marketing Daily

Candy Snob Helps Feed Your Candy Obsession with News, Reviews and More

Candy Snob is the place to go to indulge your sweet tooth. Whether you're crazy for gourmet chocolate or a sucker for hard candies, we've got all the news, reviews, and information you can cram down your gullet.

That's right, we're official!

Read the whole press release here.

A Bittersweet Deal for Wrigley

Selling the family business wasn't William Wrigley Jr.'s plan, but the Mars offer was too good to refuse

That's what Business Week reported this week. Here are some key nuggets from the article:

• Wrigley had little choice but to sell. The industry is just too competitive, and the Mars/Wrigley combo would give them 14.5% market share and a distribution network in 180 countries. Cadbury, the bane of Wrigley's existence, would now be #2 with only a 10% share.
• The Mars offer represented a 28% premium over Wrigley's price
• Things might have been different if Hershey's had accepted Wrigley's offer to sell back in 2002.
• Under William Wrigley Jr.'s watch, sales climbed to more than $5 billion from $2 billion in 1999--driven by snapping up competitors, stoking product development, and expanding globally.
• At the press conference, Wrigley said, "It's a challenge because you always think of the generation before you," he said. "But you have to separate yourself from that to make the right decisions."

M&Ms #1 & #4 in Ranking of April's Favorite TV Ads

M&Ms ads (and the candy of course) have been pretty interesting for awhile. And apparently we're not alone in this assessment. IAG Research just put out its monthly Top 10 Most-Liked, Most-Recalled New TV Spots - and two M&Ms ads made the list, and one of those topped it.

Ad Age notes, "There are lots of reasons to like M&M's -- for instance, they melt in your mouth, not in your hands -- but if you were a squirrel in the park, you might have other reasons to be jonesing for an M&M."

The #1 ad: Pink peanut M&M is attacked by squirrels while trying to read a magazine on a park bench. View here

The #4 ad: Blue M&M in a laundromat loses her contact lens; a woman finds it easily due to large size; M&M loses her other contact.

Hershey's, Cadbury Merger Rumors - Dogs & cats reported living together

More candy merger news - with Mars agreeing to buy Wrigley with Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway - the rumors have cropped up about another merger between candy rivals - Cadbury Schweppes and Hershey Co.

People familiar with the matter said the two companies are not in talks now. But Hershey executives Monday were examining potential next steps, and the two could resume talks after Cadbury makes a previously planned move of separating its drinks business from its candy business on Friday, according to one of these people.

More at the WSJ

Image by Leanne Baily

Mars & Warren Buffett Looking to Buy Wrigley

Two icons of the U.S. candy business may become one. Chewing gum legend Wrigley and Mars (makers of Snickers and M&M's, in case you live under a rock). The deal is rumored to be at the $22 billion mark, financed by none other than Bershire Hathaway, Warren Buffet's team.

Mars Inc. and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. were close to a pact to acquire Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. for more than $22 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, in a deal that would remake the global confectionery landscape.

According to the WSJ, "a deal could spark further consolidation in the global candy business. Hershey Co. and Cadbury Schweppes PLC, for example, could be forced to merge."

In 2005, Wrigley bought Kraft's Altoids and LifeSavers, for about $1.5 billion, and has also recently purchased a Russian chocolate company.

More than just the impact this merger could have on the global confectionery landscape, this could mean the end to one of two notoriously private and independent companies.