A Sticky Situation

Recently Hershey has asked its Facebook audience to post their best pictures of sticky hands and s'mores hoping to increase its photo album with actual people enjoying their product. While this was a great idea for Hershey, and allowing their consumers to participate, the campaign attracted the wrong type of attention. An activist company, Change.org, encouraged their followers to post pictures and leave comments concerning Hershey's chocolate harvesting help. 

In an article by Ragan.com, Senior Organizer Amanda Kloer states, "Child- and forced labor and human trafficking are widespread in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana," from which Hershey imports much of its cocoa,  "Hershey and other cocoa buyers signed a protocol a decade ago that sought to halt abuses, but the results have been limited."

So how is Hershey responding? To put simply, they're not. They have made no attempts to remove the compromising photos or comments, nor have they published a press release regarding this particular attack.

We have seen other companies go through similar scrutiny and have managed to make amends with their attacker however, Hershey's do nothing strategy may not have Change.org singing campfire songs.