Hershey: 'Shaq-a-licious XL Gummies Launch at Walmart'
The Path to Purchase Institute for the sixth straight year has teamed up with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) to share case studies for selected winners of the ANA’s annual REGGIE Awards. Each of these shopper-focused campaigns is worthy of “best in class” designation for the unique ways in which they engaged shoppers and drove results. “REGGIE,” shorthand for “cash register,” is an acknowledgment that the ultimate objective of any brand activation program is to drive sales.
2025 REGGIE AWARD WINNER
- Campaign: Shaq-a-licious XL Gummies Launch at Walmart
- Client: The Hershey Co.
- Agency: TPN Commerce
- Category (Award): Shopper, Commerce, Retailer Specific or Omnichannel Marketing (Gold)
As of 2023, Hershey had been the longstanding leader in the chocolate segment of the confectionery category. But a new trend was disrupting the category: The non-chocolate segment, specifically gummy candy, exceeded the growth of chocolate by 14% in dollar sales from 2020 to 2023.
Since Hershey was not well-established in the gummy space, something — and someone — really big was needed to make a splash.
That’s when celebrity and former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal entered the picture with an eponymous new product launch — Shaq-a-licious XL Gummies — supported by an omnichannel marketing campaign at Walmart.
Hershey had been exploring the possibility of a standalone celebrity-backed brand for some time, but it wasn’t until O’Neal came along that it knew it had the right fit.
“We were ecstatic to learn that Shaquille was open to a partnership,” said Vivek Mehrotra, senior brand manager of sweets and refreshment at The Hershey Co. “Shaquille loves candy. And Shaquille knows candy. Growing up in Germany, he was surrounded by world-famous confectioners like Haribo and Kinder, sparking a lifelong sweet tooth.”
O’Neal appeared everywhere in the campaign, from online ads to displays and live events at Walmart stores.
He was also hands-on at every stage of product development, from taste-testing to shape approval. His sweet side inspired flavors like peach, berry punch, and orange, while his famous nicknames came to life in the sour lineup: Cactus and shamrock shapes nod to “The Big Cactus” and “The Big Shamrock.”
Working with a larger-than-life celebrity such as O’Neal required the marketing teams to expect the unexpected. At a Walmart launch event, O’Neal was scheduled to use a private back entrance but instead chose to walk through the main doors to make a grand entrance and interact with customers.
He also made surprise PA announcements, greeted Walmart employees in the break room and spent extra time taking selfies and signing autographs for fans.
“Far from being challenges, these unscripted choices became some of the campaign’s most authentic moments,” said Lauren Clements, omnichannel marketing manager (Walmart & Club) at The Hershey Co.
Two waves of digital ads set the stage for a 30-day exclusive launch at Walmart. In stores, Hershey featured eye-catching displays that included giant replica Shaq-a-Licious bags, oversized gummies, basketball goal shopping cart signs, floor clings and an endcap.
“Together, it was a winning combination of product, personality and placement,” said Kate Akins, group account director at TPN.
It all translated to a 5% increase in Hershey's share of the non-chocolate sweets segment (from 10.9% to 18.8%) during the promotional period. The program delivered three times the velocity of expected sales per week at Walmart, with the brand reaching $1million in sales in just two weeks after product hit stores.
