Hershey's and the Open Letter

On Valentine’s Day 2026, the senior communications manager at The Hershey Company (Hershey) discovered that a post on social media platform LinkedIn was rapidly gaining traction. The post was an open letter from Brad Reese, grandson of H.B. Reese, inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Brad Reese accused Hershey of undermining the integrity of the Reese’s brand by replacing core ingredients in some products while continuing to market them under the same trusted brand identity. The timing heightened the pressure. Valentine’s Day was one of Hershey’s most important sales periods of the year, and the Reese’s brand occupied a uniquely important emotional and commercial position within the company’s portfolio. At the same time, Hershey and other confectionery manufacturers were facing rising cocoa costs, supply chain disruptions, and increasing pressure to protect margins. What had begun as a product formulation issue now threatened to become a broader communications and reputational challenge involving brand stewardship, consumer trust, and corporate transparency. The case places students in the role of Hershey’s senior communications manager as an emerging reputational issue unfolds in real time and they are unable to reach Pat Wilson, senior director of corporate communications and public relations. Students must prepare an executive email to Wilson, recommending how the company should respond. In developing their recommendation, students must assess the communications risks associated with responding—or remaining silent—identify and prioritize key stakeholders, evaluate strategic response options, and recommend an evidence-based communications strategy that balances transparency, consumer trust, and long-term brand reputation.