🍫 HERSHEY's Katseye campaign is a lesson on how to not rest on your laurels
By mikeblack · September 4, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
🍫 HERSHEY's Katseye campaign is a lesson on how to not rest on your laurels
HERSHEY's already has high cultural resonance among Gen Z
Based on 18 months of Collage Group data analyzing the candy category, HERSHEY's currently has the 6th highest cultural resonance with Gen Z amongst brands we studied
On a 0-100 scale, HERSHEY's scores 83.2, only trailing M&M’S, KIT KAT, HERSHEY'S KISSES, SNICKERS and LINDT
But unlike M&Ms and SNICKERS who have seen Gen Z resonance grow significantly over the last 18 months, HERSHEY'S has been essentially flat, slipping slightly by 0.4 points
So they needed to do something big to reignite momentum
The Katseye campaign is a strong cultural-resonance play, combining social content, choreography, music, creator amplification and “accessible premium” indulgence
That maps perfectly to what Gen Z needs for a brand to feel relevant, emotionally connected, memorable and worth advocating for
It's the balance of being authentic without being cringy, to paraphrase Katrina Vatter, HERSHEY'S senior brand manager quoted in Marketing Dive
See the full candy Gen Z resonance analysis below, based on Collage's proprietary B-CFQ cultural resonance measurement, U.S consumer survey