Emma Knauf

PRL 214.1

March 8, 2022

The Hershey Company Audience Persona

The Hershey Company is an American confectionary manufacturer headquartered in

Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company has more than 90 brands and over 16,880 employees

globally. It is known for its variety of chocolate, non-chocolate and snack products and wants to

be recognized as “an innovative snacking powerhouse.” Because of the global popularity and

wide range of products offered by the company, its target audience is not limited to a certain age,

race, gender or education level. The Hershey Company has a powerful reputation as a global

confectionary leader, both in the media and in the general public, and its recognizable brand

names are commonly preferred to those of other chocolate companies, causing the company’s

target audience to vary in age and background (The Hershey Company Factbook, 2020).

Even though The Hershey Company is focused on a variety of demographics, its

marketing and advertising is centered around families and younger audiences. In the company’s

advertisements and social media posts, it is common to see children smiling and families

enjoying many different Hershey products. In the eyes of the company, the average family is one

that is a middle-class, nuclear family, living comfortably in a suburban area with easy access to

education. It is not the most accurate representation for all Hershey customers, but it does

resemble the average family in the country where the company is most active. The company’s

expansion into healthier snack options has also led to more attention towards younger

generations, as multiple studies have shown Millennials and Gen Z would pick healthier options

when snacking (Forbes, 2020).

Salary and household income is not something the company is deeply focused on, as the

chocolate and snacks offered by the company are not luxury products and could be considered a
cheap, impulse buy for many customers. Its products are reasonably priced and easily accessible

to a diverse range of customers, so the amount of money customers have is not a big concern for

The Hershey Company. The same can be said about education level and location, as the

company is operating all over the world and is not as focused on these elements because of its

influential position in the food and beverage industry (Supply Chain Quarterly, 2018).

The goals of Hershey customers are to eat food they know they can trust and food that

will help bring good memories and fun. The Hershey Company’s customers want to know that

the food they are putting in their bodies is safe and good for them, and, in today’s fast paced

world, they do not have much time to go shopping and carefully pick out all the food they want.

To satisfy the needs of customers and solve this problem, the company provides both sweet

products and healthy products that are inexpensive and easy to grab. When people are looking

for a quick snack or sweet treat, all kinds of Hershey products are readily available at grocery

stores, vending machines, convenience stores and practically anywhere else where food is

located. For decades, the brand has been recognized for producing delicious, high-quality

products, making it an easy company for people to turn to when in need of chocolate or snacks

(The Hershey Company Factbook, 2020).

Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2020/08/25/competitive-advantages-

drive-sweet-growth-opportunities-for-the-hershey-company/?sh=68ae61d32d3f

https://www.supplychainquarterly.com/articles/1773-chocolate-bars-and-population-shifts-how-

hershey-s-supply-chain-is-adjusting-to-changing-demographics#fn16

https://investors.thehersheycompany.com/content/dam/hershey-corporate/documents/investors/

2020-factbook.pdf