The Hershey Company is gearing up for Halloween, its busiest time of the year, and it enlists home office employees to support stores during this time of supercharged sales. “It is truly our Super Bowl event of the year,” said Marlene Creighton, global chief Sales officer of The Hershey Company
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All Hands On Deck
Employees across the company lace up their sneakers and sign up to participate in its Helping Hands program to ensure shelves and displays are fully stocked with candy. “All of our employees are super excited,” said Creighton, who explained that 10% of the company’s yearly sales occur over Halloween.
The program allows support associates in the home office to work in the retail stores over Halloween weekend on a volunteer basis (the workers are paid but volunteer to work). This year, 500 employees signed up to participate, totaling 4,400 hours, the most significant involvement in the program’s 9-year history.
Retail Partners And Consumer Insights Shape Future Product Offerings
Over the past year, The Hershey Company worked with its retail partners and used consumer insights to develop product offerings that meet the market’s needs. A significant portion of sales over Halloween can be attributed to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, a hero product for The Hershey Company, followed by KitKat and Hershey’s Bar. “We take great pride in crafting the right offerings for consumers and our retail partners and delivering a great event each year,” said Creighton.
Rallying around Reese’s
As the #1 purchased Halloween candy and a critical driver to The Hershey Company’s seasonal success, the company is rallying around the brand’s limited edition Reese’s Skeleton product and newest ad campaign, #ReleasetheReese, by inviting employees to participate in the fun ad which features a dancing skeleton. Employees are already starting to post videos of themselves recreating the skeleton animated dance, and one employee winner will be picked at the company’s hybrid Halloween Costume Contest. Reese’s brand team will also perform skeleton flash mobs throughout October to surprise employees and drive excitement.
High Employee Engagement Drives Sales For The Company
Employee engagement is very high, and workers throughout the company are proud of the products on the market. “Most of us have favorable memories of confectionaries, and we pride ourselves on making more moments of goodness,” said Creighton. The skeleton dance is a favorite among employees and customers, who post their videos on social media.
Retail Visits Help Support Stores
On retail store visits over Halloween weekend, Creighton discussed how the Helping Hands program is more than just executing Halloween; it’s a win for everyone. “Retail team members have the opportunity to learn and train, their partners enjoy an immersive retail experience, and our store partners appreciate the boosted in-store support.”
Creighton saw that stores were busy and a high level of Halloween excitement heading into the weekend. “Halloween is my favorite day,” said Creighton.
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