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Hershey uses KATSEYE and social content for Gen Z campaign

Hershey promotes its new Creme Bars with KATSEYE, paid social, influencers and many social assets. The campaign shows how brands translate pop culture into longer-running content.

From Social Rocket editorial team

This text was created with AI assistance and reviewed editorially before publication. All sources are linked below.

Pink sweets as a symbol image for Hershey's Gen Z campaign
Photo: Diana Polekhina / Unsplash

Hershey is launching an integrated campaign with the pop group KATSEYE for its new Creme Bars. Alongside TV and connected TV, the brand relies on paid social, influencers, digital video, display, out-of-home and streaming audio. The centrepiece is a spot built around the KATSEYE song "Pinky Up", whose movement and aesthetic are directly linked to the product.

For social media marketers, the content planning is the most interesting part: during the shoot, Hershey deliberately produced many additional assets that are to be published throughout the year on the brand's and partners' accounts. This way, the same campaign clip isn't recycled for months.

KATSEYE is meant to bring Gen Z culture into the campaign credibly

Hershey wanted to position the new Creme Bars specifically for younger consumers. According to Marketing Dive, the team therefore looked for a cultural approach that appeals to Gen Z without feeling forced.

The connection came through KATSEYE's song "Pinky Up". The song's central hand gesture can be linked to the product and at the same time provides a recognisable social motif. Hershey therefore uses the partnership not only as a prominent testimonial but as the creative framework for the campaign.

This follows a logic that is becoming ever more important for FMCG brands: platform, creator and campaign idea have to fit together. In our social media playbook for FMCG brands, we therefore positioned TikTok and Instagram especially for discovery, creator collaborations and visual brand worlds.

Influencers are meant to extend the motif

The campaign was developed by MiltonOne, a bespoke Publicis solution for Hershey, together with Martin. Alongside KATSEYE, Hershey works with further influencers whose style is meant to suit the campaign.

This is a sensible difference from a pure celebrity campaign: the well-known face creates attention, while additional creators can carry the central motif into different formats and audiences.

That is precisely where the measurement question lies, however. Creator marketing continues to grow, while brands increasingly scrutinise fees and effectiveness. Current IAB data shows clear uncertainty in assessing creator prices. For campaigns like this, views and likes alone are therefore not enough; brand lift, search interest, product trial and sales matter too.

Many assets instead of a single hero spot

According to Hershey and Marketing Dive, the shoot produced numerous additional pieces of content. These are to be published in staggered fashion throughout the year.

This is especially relevant for social, because the campaign then doesn't depend on a single 60-second spot. One production day can yield short clips, creator versions, behind-the-scenes material, cutdowns and platform-specific variants.

For brands, this is more efficient when usage rights and formats are planned before the shoot. Our UGC guide explains which rights and labelling obligations matter for organic and paid creator content.

Hershey is increasing its brand investment

The campaign is part of a larger growth strategy. Hershey reported organic sales growth of 3,6 percent for the second quarter 2026. According to the company, brand investment is set to rise significantly in both 2026 and 2027; new product innovations play an important role in this.

The Creme Bars also tap into a trend towards small, affordable moments of indulgence. Hershey describes the positioning as a kind of accessible premium experience: a small luxury without a luxury price or status signal.

For social media teams, however, the more exciting part is the execution: pop culture isn't simply bought in, but translated into a repeatable motif and a pool of social assets. That is precisely what allows a brand collaboration to live longer than the first campaign post.

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