How Hershey's Katseye partnership wins Gen Z without chasing trends
The confectionery giant paired its flagship brand with a chart-topping pop group to launch a new product. Here's why that move works for owners selling to younger buyers.
The 5-second version
- Hershey's latest campaign links its core brand to a Gen Z pop group, positioning indulgence as a cultural moment, not just a snack.
- The partnership approach lets an established CPG brand stay relevant without diluting its identity or chasing every trend.
- For store owners and small brands, the lesson is pairing your existing customer base with cultural touchstones that resonate with younger buyers.
Hershey's flagship brand just made a high-profile move: it partnered with Katseye, a chart-topping pop group, to support a new product launch. On the surface, it looks like a celebrity endorsement. But the strategy is subtly different, and that difference explains why it works for reaching Gen Z without alienating the millions of customers who've been buying Hershey's chocolate for decades.
Why partnerships work where trends fade
Gen Z buyers care about indulgence and cultural moments. Hershey recognized that the brand itself, a household name that's been around since 1894, doesn't inherently feel like a cultural moment. So instead of redesigning the product or chasing whatever trend is popular this week, Hershey paired it with a group that Gen Z already follows and trusts.
This is different from a one-off celebrity ad. A partnership gives both parties skin in the game. Katseye gets to show their audience they're authentic enough to back a product they actually like. Hershey gets to borrow that authenticity and cultural cache without abandoning its core identity.
How to apply this to your store or brand
The Hershey-Katseye move works because it respects both the brand and the audience. For a store owner or small brand, the lesson is this: find a creator, musician, or micro-influencer whose followers represent the demographic you want to reach next, and whose values actually align with how your business operates.
- Look for partners whose existing audience overlaps with the customer you want to win, not just anyone with a large following.
- Make sure the partnership feels natural to both parties. A forced collaboration reads as inauthentic to Gen Z, and that kills the deal.
- Keep your core brand visible. You're not morphing into something new; you're making it discoverable to people who don't know you yet.
- Scale it to your size. A national brand partners with a chart-topping group. A local shop partners with a respected community creator or local musician.
Hershey's investment in this campaign signals something bigger: established brands can grow Gen Z revenue without abandoning their existing customer base. The key is choosing partners that represent what your brand actually stands for, then letting both sides amplify each other.
As the confectionery maker invests in brands to build on recent growth, its flagship label teamed with a chart-topping pop group to support a new product.Marketing Dive, September 1, 2026
Questions owners ask
Why would a big brand like Hershey's partner with a pop group instead of running ads on its own?
A partnership gives younger customers a cultural reason to choose the product, it's not just candy, it's connected to something they love. That association sticks in memory and builds loyalty in a way a traditional ad can't. For a store owner, this means finding local or niche influencers or creators whose audiences overlap with your customers.
Does this kind of campaign hurt sales to older customers who don't care about the pop group?
No. Hershey kept the flagship brand front and center, so existing customers still see the core product. The Gen Z angle is an addition, not a replacement. The goal is to grow the pie, not shrink it.
How do I know if a partnership like this is worth the investment for my store or brand?
Look for a partner whose audience overlaps with the demographic you want to reach next, and make sure they align with how your brand actually behaves. A forced partnership feels fake to customers. The Hershey-Katseye pairing works because both represent indulgence and cultural moment-making.
Can a small business pull off this kind of collaboration?
Yes, but at a smaller scale. Partner with a local creator, musician, or micro-influencer whose followers match your target customer. The principle is the same: borrow credibility and cultural relevance from someone your next customer already follows.
