1. Hershey’s Partners with Starbucks to Launch Limited Time Holiday Signature Coffee
Flavor Infused Chocolate Bars
PR Strategy
DRAFT 1C – AS OF 11-16-15
Timing:
Commercial’s Initial Airdate:
Thanksgiving football games on Thursday, November 26
Malls, Christmas Tree Farms, Holiday Theme Park Kiosks taste testing Launch:
Black Friday – November 27- 30
Store Launch:
Tuesday, December 1
Final Sell Date:
January 8
Key Strategy:
 Identify three key spokespeople: one talent, one expert and one chef
o Utilize spokespeople to garner national press within film, food and business
industries
 Key national print stories a week before launch
 Local market press where possible
 Create buzz for partnership with Starbucks and Hershey’s
 Associate holiday season “festive” feeling with new product
Key Spokespeople
 One Talent: Actor Mark Walhberg
o Identifies with key audience (men and women aged 18-34)
o Allows for film reporters
 Wahlberg stars in “Daddy’s Home”, Premieres Christmas Day
 Commercial will publicize film at the end
 One Expert: Hershey’s CEO John P. Bilbrey
 Hotel Hershey Executive Pastry Chef Cher Harris
Mailings:
 Mailing sent out week of October 26
 Dessert kit includes:
o Hershey’s Starbucks Holiday Flavored Chocolate bars
 Chestnut Praline Latte Chocolate Bar
 Peppermint Mocha Chocolate Bar
 Eggnog Latte Chocolate Bar
 Gingerbread Latte Chocolate Bar
 Caramel Brulee Latte Chocolate Bar

2. o Starbucks Red Holiday Mug filled with red milk, dark and peppermint chocolate
kisses
o Santa “Bearista” Teddy bear with the Hershey’s and Starbuck’s logo on its Santa
Claus outfit
o Press releases (Lead Release, Trade [Partnership] Release)
o DVD of two commercials featuring Mark Wahlberg
o Cookbook of desserts using Hershey’s ingredients, with a note inside that the
Starbucks Signature Hershey Bars can substitute the normal chocolate bars for
seasonal festivities
Press Materials (Timing of Release Dates):
 Lead Release – out Monday, October 26
o Give to consumer press outlets
o Important dates
 Thanksgiving Day Commercial Launch during football games
 November 27-30 tastetesting kiosks at malls, Christmas tree farms and
theme parks (e.g. Holiday Themed Six Flags, Disneyland, Disneyworld,
Universal Studios, Hershey Park Christmas Candy Lane, etc…), holiday
events throughout the U.S. (E.g. N.Y.C. Christmas at Rockefeller Center)
 December 1 Store Launch
o Overview of the Hershey’s, Starbucks Partnership
o Brief statement about end of commercial plug regarding Mark Wahlberg’s film
releasing Christmas Day, “Daddy’s Home”
 Trade Release –out Monday, November 2
o Give to trade press outlets
o Discuss the partnership
o Quote from Hershey’s CEO John P. Bilbrey
o Quote from Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz
 Media Advisory
o Release email November 30 following press trip, remind press of the next day’s
launch
Print Pitches
 Long Lead
o Food Network Magazine, Cooking Light, Woman’s Day, O (Oprah) Magazine,
Food and Wine Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Taste of Home
 Three dessert recipes using Starbucks Signature Hershey Bars as a key
ingredient
 Peppermint Mocha Chocolate Bar Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
 Hershey’s Chestnut Praline Latte Chocolate Cake
 Brownie Bottom and Caramel Brulee Latte Cheesecake bars
 Taste testers’ best combinations of Hershey’s Chocolate Bar with
Starbucks’ Holiday Drink.
 E.g. Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha goes best with Hershey’s
Starbucks Infused Eggnog Latte Chocolate Bar
o People Magazine, Glamaholic Magazine
 “Daddy’s Home” premiers Christmas Day, featuring Mark Wahlberg who
can also be seen in Hershey’s new commercial featuring our new
Starbucks signature holiday flavored chocolate bars
o Fast Company

3.  Interview-style news story with Hershey’s CEO John P. Bilbrey
 Why Bilbrey agreed to the Starbucks partnership
 Future growth for Hershey’s
 Short Lead
o USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los
Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 Hershey and Starbucks will now have the potential to tap into each
other’s consumer bases.
 Interview-style news story with Hershey’s CEO John P. Bilbrey
 Why Bilbrey agreed to the Starbucks partnership
 Future growth for Hershey’s
 Milton Hershey’s Story is a truly American story
 After failing a couple times, entrepreneur Milton Hershey was able
to employ 14,000 people and enriched the small town of Hershey,
Pennsylvania.
 Hershey’s current partnership with Starbucks goes along with
Milton Hershey’s sentiments of expansion and perseverance.
o AP Business
 American dream, Hershey’s growth
o Patriot News (Daily Newspaper in Harrisburg, PA-covers Hershey)
 Hershey’s growth story
 The company is ever-changing in the candy it produces and in the rides
featured at Hershey Park.
 The Starbucks Partnership will gain only benefit Hershey’s
success and bottom line.
Broadcast Pitches
 Good Morning America (ABC)
o Try for week of November 30
o Hotel Hershey Resort and Spa Executive Chef Cher Harris makes Chocolate Bar
Filled Chocolate Cupcakes, using Hershey’s Starbucks Peppermint Mocha
infused Chocolate Bars, instead of the traditional Hershey bar.
 Amy Robach, Lara Spencer and Ginger Lee will participate in the cooking
segment.
 Rachel Ray
o Try for week of November 30
o Rachel Ray and Cher Harris work together to make signature Hershey’s Recipe
cheesecake bars, using the signature Starbucks infused chocolate bars.
o Free audience gift basket giveaway featuring each of the Starbucks infused
Hershey Bars, handed out by none other than a walking Hershey Bar Character,
featured at Hershey Park.
 Jimmy Fallon
o A while back, Jimmy Fallon stated on his show “You just never see full-sized
Krackel Bars anymore.” As a result, Hershey’s personally delivered a large safe
with a combination lock comprised of only full-sized Krackel bars.
o As a take-off on this, Hershey’s will deliver a large safe IN STUDIO during a
show comprised of Hershey’s Limited Time Starbucks Holiday Coffee Infused
Chocolate Bars
o Hershey’s CEO John Bilbrey will let Jimmy Fallon know that they are only for
him, and only he will know the safe’s combination.

4. o Jimmy Fallon will then be blindfolded by Bilbrey, and Fallon will have to guess
which Starbucks Holiday Coffee Infused Chocolate Bar flavor he is eating. Is it…
 Chestnut Praline Latte Chocolate Bar?
 Peppermint Mocha Chocolate Bar?
 Eggnog Latte Chocolate Bar?
 Gingerbread Latte Chocolate Bar?
 Caramel Brulee Latte Chocolate Bar?
o Fallon will “suddenly decide” to give away each chocolate bar from his safe to the
audience members.
Digital
 Online
o Work with Yahoo! to provide video clips of Hotel Hershey Executive Chef Cher Harris
making five recipes using Starbucks Holiday Flavor Infused Hershey Bars (Five
videos)
o Send these videos to Huffpost Taste, as well as the recipes for each dessert being
made on video
o Buzzfeed
o QUIZ: Which Holiday Starbuck’s Flavor Infused Hershey Bar are you?
 Possible Results:
 Chestnut Praline Latte Chocolate Bar
 Peppermint Mocha Chocolate Bar
 Eggnog Latte Chocolate Bar
 Gingerbread Latte Chocolate Bar
 Caramel Brulee Latte Chocolate Bar
o Hershey’s Twitter and Facebook showing recipes and pictures of the candy
each day from December 1 – January 8
 Will encourage people to show themselves cooking using the limited
edition Starbucks Holiday Flavor infused Hershey’s bars to spread the
conversation
 #StersheyHolidayBars Hashtag
 Mobile
o Daily Hershey snapchat story showing different taste-testing kiosks throughout
the U.S.
 This will be on Hershey’s snapchat from December 1-January 8
o Food Network Snapchat Story: How to make various recipes using the limited
time Holiday Starbucks Coffee Flavor Infused Hershey Bars
o Hershey’s Instagram account will post pictures of people cooking with the limited
edition candy bars and will encourage people to post pictures of people eating
them and cooking with them
 #StersheyHolidayBars Hashtag
 Bloggers
o Mom Blogs (kids love desserts and candy, holiday festivities)
o Entertainment Blogs (Mark Wahlberg as a spokesperson, also plugging his
movie coming out Christmas Day)
o Business Blogs (capitalizing on the partnership between Hershey’s and
Starbucks, plugging quotes from Hershey’s CEO John Bilbrey)
o Food blogs (Focusing on recipes using the limited edition chocolate bars, video
and recipes from Hotel Hershey Executive Pastry Chef Cher Harris)

5. Press Trip
 Timed near launch: November 27-28
 Location: Hershey PA
 Invite key press (8)
o Working with Hotel Hershey Resort and Spa
 Hotel Hershey representatives will pick press up from Harrisburg airport
gates and escort them to the Hotel Hershey in shuttles throughout the
day.
o Gift basket upon press arrival
 Bottle of champaigne
 Each of the limited edition Starbucks Holiday Infused Hershey Bars
 Trip Itinerary
 Free Christmas Candylane at Hershey Park tickets, good for anytime
between November 27-29
 Free ticket to Hershey Hotel Spa, good for anytime between November
27-29, open space for each reporter is already made (agreement
between Hershey’s Chocolate and Hotel Hershey that it is okay if they do
not show up)
 Schedule
o Friday, November 27
 9:00 p.m., Hotel Hershey: Drinks and Hershey’s dessert reception
(recipes containing the holiday chocolate bars)
o Saturday, November 28
o 9:00 AM-12:00 PM: Hershey Factory: Tour the Hershey Chocolate Factory and
sees how the limited edition Holiday Starbucks Hershey chocolate bars are made
o 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Lunch on their own
o 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Opportunity for interviews with Hershey’s CEO, Hotel
Hershey Executive Pastry Chef
o Free time/END OF PRESS TRIP
 Hotel Hershey Spa, Hershey Park Christmas Candy Lane at dark