Jeremy’s Chocolate: Ha, Ha, Hershey’s

For years, Hershey's chocolate has been America's favorite. But there's a new chocolate brand in town and it isn't afraid to position itself as Hershey's unfriendly rival. In "celebration" of International Women's Day, Jeremy's Chocolate launched its first anti-Hershey's campaign, introducing its very own line of chocolates and solidifying its brand as a market competitor. https://youtu.be/ww5Lf97hXQM Why It Works For starters, it works because it's a commercial about chocolates, even though it isn't really about chocolate at all. It becomes clear when in the commercial, they let the audience know that one of their chocolate bars has nuts and the other does not (and to buy Hershey's chocolate if you can't tell the difference). Yikes! It's also a very bold move to position your brand as the direct opposite of Hershey, America's favorite. In the commercial, Jeremy's Chocolate takes its stand as a conservative chocolate alternative, that is tired of Hershey's oh-so-liberal marketing agenda, so it constructed a unique one of its own. In marketing, this is called brand competition, or a rivalry between two brands that operate in the same market. When a company establishes itself as a market leader, or has a very high market share in an industry, they gain a competitive advantage—which makes it difficult for similar brands to win over consumers. At times, striking up a brand competition can be one of the best strategies to get your product or service noticed by your target audience. But if you're going to start a brand war, it can only be effective if you've done your research and mastered the art of knowing what your audience wants and will respond well to. They're Real Chocolates Image from Jeremysrazors.com I initially chalked this up to be a joke or a spoof, but this is a real chocolate brand. While it is very comical, it is also a brilliant strategy and there is certainly an audience for it. Why? Chocolates are like people, everyone has a preference. For the record, saying you like vanilla or toffee when we're talking about chocolates isn't considered a preference. But liking your chocolate with nuts, or no nuts is, isn't it? According to Jeremy's Chocolate, Hershey's doesn't think so. So they are introducing two viable options to their customers: HeHim bars (with nuts, how else) and SheHer bars that are made without nuts, of course. What do you think of this advertisement? Whether it takes a stance you agree with or not, do you feel it is persuasive enough for its target audience to buy into it? I would love to know. ...