The Hershey Company leveraged buzz surrounding National S?mores Day yesterday by promoting a hashtag on Twitter and responding to consumers with a message containing a link to one of the brand?s classic s?mores recipes.

Hershey?s sponsored the #SmoreFun hashtag on Twitter yesterday, resulting in a feed rife with consumer-generated photos of various s?mores snacks alongside branded GIFs and memes. However, the chocolate marketer opted to raise mobile engagement up a notch by personally responding to select Twitter users leveraging the hashtag with a Tweet containing a link to a s?mores recipe featuring Hershey?s products.

?We are opting to respond with s?mores recipes to inspire and motivate people to participate in National S?mores Day,? said Stacie Stauffer, senior brand manager at Hershey's Brand. ?We are providing them with multiple recipes that expand usage occasions beyond the campfire. 

?Chocolate is the key component of the s?more and more than 88 percent of consumers use Hershey?s Milk Chocolate most often to make s?mores,? she said. ?Continuing to link Hershey?s with a trending event like National S?mores Day will help us build further awareness of our brand.?

Toasting up mobile conversations
Hershey?s kicked off National S?mores Day with a Promoted Tweet that invited individuals to, ?Relive the joy of your first s?more. Have #SmoreFun this National S?mores Day by sharing your favorite treat!?

The post included a 55-second video showing consumers of all ages enjoying s?mores and revealing their favorite memories involving the campfire snack.

Another Tweet from the chocolate brand featured a GIF displaying the anatomy of a s?more ? which includes a marshmallow, graham crackers and Hershey?s chocolate ? with the ingredients appearing in a slew of languages, such as English, Spanish and German.

Hershey?s interacted with and retweeted consumers? own posts regarding s?mores. Additionally, it personally responded to several Twitter users, wishing them a Happy National S?mores Day alongside a clickable link. The link brought consumers to Hershey?s mobile site, where they could find a recipe for making classic s?mores.

Hershey?s also invited several users to Direct Message its official Twitter account so that it could send them, ?S?more fun!?

The possibility of receiving a personal message back from the brand incentivized more consumers to participate in the social media buzz surrounding the chocolate-centric holiday.

?A lot of people on Twitter are naturally talking about s?mores and Hershey joined the conversation by replying to fans in a variety of ways: offering recipes, asking people to post selfies, etc.,? said Sebastian Provencher, vice president of product management at Acquisio. ?It used a tone of voice that made the brand sound very human and that definitely contributed to brand-building.?

Over to the Olympics
Hershey?s also introduced several Team USA-themed s?mores recipes yesterday, capitalizing on the excitement surrounding the Rio Olympics. The new recipes included S?mores Pops, a unique take on cake pops, as well as Classic S?mores made with red, white and blue marshmallows.

The marketer continues to stir up participation for its Olympics-themed social media campaign, which invites consumers to send messages of support, love and encouragement to their favorite athletes via the #HellofromHome hashtag.

?As an official Olympics sponsor, Hershey?s is really capitalizing on the #HelloFromHome campaign,? said Jorge Hermez, director of marketing at SiteZeus. ?It?s found an innovative way to engage the public by making us feel like a support system to the athletes in Rio.

?The recipes are really ?the cherry on top,? as the short videos and Hershey?s bar inserts already made for a stellar campaign leading up to National S?mores Day,? he said.

Hershey?s also recently brought at-home viewers in on the action surrounding the Olympics by partnering with athletes for separate social media pushes designed to fit the images of its flagship product and the Reese's brand (see story).

?Hashtags were a novelty almost a decade ago, and many companies have tried to make the most of the trend, even as it dwindles down in popularity,? Mr. Hermez said.

?What Hershey?s has done so well is positioned itself as the voice for America, and social media as the channel for which we communicate directly with the Olympians. Brand loyalty and awareness are sure to be a result of this campaign as so many positive associations now surround the games and the chocolate bars.?