Hershey's Syrup takes brand awareness to new heights with 'Hershel Cow' bottle

A new limited-edition "caricature" bottle from Graham Packaging Co. L.P. (York, PA) is helping Hershey's Syrup — an already-popular product — strengthen brand awareness even further. The 48-oz high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottle is whimsically molded in the shape of "Hershel Cow," a character Hershey Foods features in its print and television advertising.

"We worked as a team with Hershey Foods to design a bottle that's brand distinctive and fun to use for chocolate lovers everywhere," says Sheldon Yourist, design manager at Graham Packaging, a leading global producer of custom blow-molded plastic containers. "We wanted to do something to capture the spirit of the kid in all of us."

After creating the basic three-dimensional shape on computer, designers tooled a prototype and hand-sculpted the details before digitizing the finished version.

"We're using the Hershel bottle for a limited time to generate awareness and excitement for Hershey's Syrup and create a tie-in with our print and television advertising and our website," says Michael Riley, packaging specialist for Hershey Foods.

The clever bottle is currently being shipped to stores, and Hershey is running a contest encouraging consumers to "find Hershel." Voice chips have been installed under the caps of five bottles and when opened will announce to the lucky finders that they have won an all-expense-paid trip for four to Hershey, PA. In addition, more than 3,000 baseball caps, backpacks and tee shirts are also being awarded as prizes. The pull-push caps are supplied by Creative Packaging Corp. (Buffalo Grove, IL).

Since the Hershel bottle is being used only for a limited time, it is designed such that it minimizes changes in Hershey's production line. "We succeeded in designing a bottle with the same basic footprint, height, weight and overall width as the regular 48-oz bottle we make for Hershey's Syrup," says Jay C. Arnold, business manager for Graham Packaging's food polyolefins division.

The Hershel bottle is produced on a Graham rotary wheel with in-mold labeling, the same process Graham uses for other bottles it manufactures for Hershey's syrups and toppings. The front and back labels, supplied by Spear Label Co. (Mason, Ohio) are uniquely contoured to fit the shape of the bottle.

For more information:
Graham Packaging, York, PA, Tel: 717-8463755, Fax: 717-846-1931
Creative Packaging Corp., Buffalo Grove, IL, Tel: 847-808-7200, Fax: 847-215-0351
Spear Label Co., Mason, Ohio, Tel: 513-459-1100, Fax: 513-459-1362

Edited by Bill Noone