The Context:
For The Hershey Company and Team USA, the 2026 Winter Olympics presented an opportunity to do more than attach a logo to a global sporting moment. The goal was to emotionally reposition Hershey's around human connection, joy, and cultural relevance during one of the world’s most watched events.

Behind every Olympic athlete is a deeply human story — family sacrifices, emotional resilience, rituals, and moments of joy that matter more than the podium itself. Rather than focusing on athletic dominance, Hershey’s leaned into emotional side of being a world class athlete.

The campaign positioned happiness as the true reward, not just a gold medal.

The Ask:
The mission was to drive brand relevance as we refreshed for a younger, socially native audience.

Our PR strategy was two fold — announce the brand as a Team USA sponsor and generate awareness around the chocolate medals hitting retailers/online TikTok shop.

We turned the product into a cultural artifact — celebrating the Winter Olympics and nodding to real Olympian behavior - the classic medal bite. Each athlete set out on a press tour to draw attention to our campaign and the games. We also selected veteran olympians to serve as influencers — creating paid content and attending our brand activation.

The result was an integrated campaign ecosystem that blended PR, commerce, talent, and cultural storytelling. Driving awareness for Hershey’s evolving brand platform while turning a limited-edition product launch into a socially resonant Olympic moment.