The first words out of my mouth when I read that the Hershey Company has decided to HALT the making of their new candy PAC'S in the look a like drug packaging were ----WOW!!!!
They - this multi billion dollar company actually listened to the consumers. That is incredible!!!
It's in newspapers all over the country but you can also read it here at this link:
The one thing that I DO NOT agree with is that they have left what they had on the shelves in the stores that they distributed to. They say it is a limited number - what does that mean exactly - a limited number? I mean basically to a company with the magnitude of Hershey is a limited number a thousand or is it a few million?
It has taken all of us that care enough to call, send in the petitions, write letters, stop buying Hershey products, etc.....to get this changed.
I would think that regardless of the freedom that we have in our country that the food and drug administration wake up a little earlier than the marketing groups that come up with ideas such as this.
Hershey Company is acting the same as a spoiled child. By leaving what product they have on the shelf, so that they do not lose any money, they are trying to act as if they are doing all of us - the consumers a favor.
They think that since they have agreed to STOP making the product, that this should be OK with us -----
Helloooooo?????
It seems as if it is extremely hard for Hershey's to openly admit 100% that yes, they definitely made a poor decision - not just for their company but for the public - who I might add are their customers.
What would I say if I could attend a one on one meeting with the board of directors of Hershey's? In layman's terms it would be relatively simple - it would go something like this....
OK, first lets start off with my gratitude that you have actually seen that this is certainly not one of the brightest moments in marketing that you have had. Thank you so much for making the decision that you will not create this drug look a like "candy" - that is not what we were asking - we were simply asking you to change the packaging of it. Yet instead you yourselves made the decision to insert this latest marketing strategy into the grinder. Good for you.
What I would really like to see is that you go a step further and REMOVE the product from the store shelves. Give it to your employees in the break rooms. Throw it away and write it off on your taxes as a loss. Just get it off the shelves.
Here in our area there have been numerous people going into the stores that have this and requesting it be pulled from the shelves.
People buy your candy. Schools use your services as well to sell candy for you.
Go one step further guys - pull this completely from the shelves.
I am not a bored person with so much time on my hands that I cannot find other things to do. That has been insinuated by some people through their comments on ABC News blog sites. Speaking for myself, I am in fact an extremely busy person. It is when instances such as this come up that issues such as this take top priority.
I personally like everyone else grew up loving Hershey candy products. I plan on my grandchildren loving them as well - as long as there are no further blunders such as this one.
I appreciate your trying to come up with new and insightful ways of marketing however, Hershey is supposed to be something that stays in your mind like a good memory of days gone by. Things like making sure that when you went to the movies there was always going to be a little extra money so that you could buy a box of Milk Duds. Or when your Mom made chocolate chip cookies she always used Hershey Chocolate Chips. Those are the kind of memories that you want your company to have. Not something like when you made a candy look like a deadly drug.
So while I appreciate the decision that you have made to stop making the candy in this form, I would as well as many many others appreciate that decision more if you would also pull the candy that you have made off of the shelves.
Please....it's just that simple.
I continue to urge all of you to keep calling or writing to Hershey's and thank them for stopping the manufacturing of this candy but to now pull this from the shelves and be done with it.
Take care and stay safe
Susie
Contact Hershey's by phone: 1-800-468-1714 Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
