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Imagine this…

The past few weeks have been rough. We’re talking rougher-than-sandpaper rough.

→ You’ve had six “just one more tiny edit” emails from ONE client about THE SAME product description.
→ Another client asked if you could fit a 5,000-word sales page into your schedule before December 31.
→ Your last discovery call went great—only to get ghosted when you sent over the five-figure proposal.

As a business owner, sometimes it feels like you’re juggling four balls and two flaming torches like a clown who did not sign up for this circus.

Today was one of those days. So you decide to give up (temporarily).

You grab the remote, plop yourself on the couch, and get ready to stress-eat whipped cream straight outta the can.

But just as you absentmindedly turn the TV on, you hear a familiar bell ring.

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You look up and watch the famous Hershey’s Kisses holiday commercial you’ve loved since you were a kid.

Your problems didn’t vanish.

But you feel a lot better than you did 15 seconds ago.

How did that 35-year-old commercial instantly put you into a better mood?

In today’s special edition of Why We Buy 🧠, we’ll explore a well-known company to see how they use buyer psychology principles in their business.

This week we’re diving into Hershey—the beloved chocolate company that sells much more than just chocolate.

Let’s get into it.
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🤑 A Look Inside Hershey

In 1883, armed with a 4th-grade education and three failed attempts as a candy maker, Milton Hershey struck gold on his fourth venture: the Lancaster Caramel Company.

But 10 years later, a trip to the World’s Columbian Exposition changed everything.

Hershey saw chocolate-making equipment from Germany and became obsessed with creating (milk) chocolate.

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The thing is, chocolate before the 19th century was expensive AF.

So Hershey, a hero, was determined to make the luxury Swiss sweet affordable for Americans.

He spent years re-creating the recipe, and it paid off. In 1900, the very first Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar was sold by The Hershey Company.

By 1905, Hershey had built the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing plant, revolutionizing production.

This meant…for the first time ever…

Chocolate was finally accessible to millions of people. (Including those delightful, hand-wrapped Kisses that launched in 1907.)

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Over the years, Hershey expanded its candy empire, acquiring brands like Almond Joy, Reese’s, and PayDay—to name a few.

So it’s no surprise Hershey made $11,170,000,000 in revenue…in 2023 alone.

Pretty sweet, right?​
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🧠 How Hershey Uses Buyer Psychology

Hershey doesn’t just rely on sugar rushes to keep you hooked. Here are three ways they turn chocolate into cash.

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​Affect Heuristic

Plot twist: Hershey doesn’t sell chocolate bars. They sell happiness in every bite—AKA ways to turn ordinary moments into “moments of goodness.”

The chocolate is just the pathway to getting there. And Hershey doesn’t keep this a secret.

Their website’s strategic, tiny copy tweaks encourage your brain to link Hershey with happiness.

That’s pretty smart since 90% of buying decisions are made with emotions and later justified with logic.​

Scarcity

Throughout the year, Hershey releases limited edition versions of their traditional sweets, including holidays and movie releases.

And they did NOT disappoint this holiday season.

Brainy bonus: They paired scarcity with nostalgia by brilliantly partnering with a Christmas character both kids *and* adults adore.

The result? We just learned about this giant Grinch Hershey’s Kiss *checks watch* 13 seconds ago. And we’d already run through a brick wall to get one before they disappear off shelves.

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​Storytelling

Bob Williams was a 93-year-old man who bought a box of Hershey’s bars weekly and then gave them away…for more than 15 years.

Hershey took note, listening to their happiest customers and then cloning them through the Heartwarming The World campaign. The video series was designed to “bring people together through chocolate.”

Bob was their first featured story.

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This type of storytelling helps you form a connection with the company, which makes you more likely to buy from Hershey than a candy competitor.

(Sad footnote: Bob passed away in 2021. Even his obituary mentioned his love for Hershey’s chocolate.

We’re not crying. You’re crying.)
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​🤔 Thinking About Your ​Business

Hershey has been around for more than 130 years. Not many companies can say that. So use their sweet (hehe) marketing strategies to help your biz stand the test of time.

Ask yourself…
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Q: Are you selling yourself short?​
Say you’re a web designer. You’re not just designing websites—you’re creating virtual business cards that make your clients feel like confident bad-a*ses.

Identify the desired outcomes that are *really* in it for customers. This will help you frame your offer as a must-have purchase, not a “nice-to-have, maybe-later” one.

(Just make sure you identify your customers’ selfish desires to make this effective.)
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Q: How can you incorporate more storytelling into your marketing?
​Not a wordsmith? Not a problem. Storytelling doesn’t have to mean 1,000 words on a page. It can be as simple as a 15-second video.

Or you can go BIG, like Kit does with their Creator Case Studies. Here’s a case study Kit just published on me!

The takeaway is that storytelling lights our brains up and makes us form instant connections, whether to a brand or product. This means…you can’t afford *not* to use it.
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Q: Can you create more demand for your offer *without* using discounts?
​Hershey proves that offering 10% off isn’t the only way to generate raving demand for a product. So get creative and find ways to create more demand—without offering less.

This could be through presenting time-sensitive bonuses or even scroll-stopping content.
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💥 The Short of It

The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. After all, no one wants to feel like they’re being sold to.

That’s why Hershey brilliantly (and successfully) aligned itself with happiness instead.

(Psst…Did you notice how emotion was the foundation for *every* buyer psychology technique?)

As Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Hershey’s 130+ years in existence is proof.

Until next time, happy selling!