Hershey’s is using the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to launch its first major creative platform in eight years, ‘Hershey’s. It’s Your Happy Place.’
The campaign reframes the games by shifting focus from medals to meaning, positioning happiness, not winning, as the ultimate prize. Anchored by the idea that happiness is the real gold, the work taps into the emotional power of sport.
The campaign features five Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Erin Jackson, Hilary Knight and Brenna Huckaby. By interviewing athletes’ families first and revealing those messages on camera, Hershey’s captures genuine reactions that highlight fulfilment beyond the podium.
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“The opening ceremony of the Olympics is the perfect place to launch a new brand platform for one of America’s most storied brands,” said Jerry Hoak, chief creative officer at The Martin Agency, about the new campaign.
“We’ve spent decades telling athletes that gold is everything. Win gold. Happiness follows. But this first brand work proves that it goes way deeper than that. It’s the journey, the memories and the people who got you there that represent your true Happy Place. And an Olympic-sized creamy milk chocolate foil-wrapped Hershey medal might too.”
These limited-edition chocolate medals, wrapped in gold foil, turn happiness into a tangible keepsake. Distributed through pop-ups, social platforms and retail drops during the games, the medals extend the campaign beyond the screen.
The Martin Agency